Luck
by 2degreesabovefreezing
Summary: Katsuki Bakugo, a successful and solitary alpha, likes living alone. He has never really wanted to find a partner, omegas just annoy him... that is... until a badly hurt and memoryless omega is thrown into his life. Is this misfortune or a stroke of luck? (Bakudeku Omegaverse)
1. Lighthouse

Bakugo Katsuki had everything. A nice house, a cool job, and money to spare. He did not, however, have an omega. He didn't understand what all the fuss was about. All his alpha friends had found their mates back in high school or during university. God, it annoyed him to listen to them swoon over each other like primitive animals. Humans were advanced creatures, not prisoners to animalistic urges. It seemed so completely stupid to Katsuki.

He didn't mind being alone. If fact, he preferred it. The idea of constantly having to cater to a whiny little omega just seemed annoying to him. They were always whining and crying and needing attention. He'd rather just enjoy the peace and quiet of solitude.

As Katsuki walked out of the gym where he worked and through the parking lot to his car, he quietly watched a couple on the other side of the lot. The omega was one of his clients. He had always wanted to train professional fighters but since he had so little natural sex drive, he pretty quickly became known for teaching self defense to high-profile omegas. He was booked up with wealthy omegas who wanted to learn to fight off unwanted advances from alphas.

His client was clinging to her alpha's arm, nuzzling her head against him. Katsuki cringed. It was so annoying. "Honey… my shoes are starting to get worn out. The soles came out today." She complained.

"Do your feet hurt?" He asked, buying right into her game. "I'll get you a new pair on my way home from the office tomorrow." He promised.

Katsuki rolled his eyes and looked away. Why were omegas so pathetic? And why were alphas so gullible? 'If omegas want to be babied, why don't they just stay home with their parents?' He wondered.

He got in his Ferrari, smiling at the slick leather seats and glowing red control center. This car was the closest thing to an omega that he'd ever want. It was sexier, more useful, and less expensive than any omega. Driving it down the highway and listening to its engine hum made his fingertips tingle. He patted the dashboard affectionately. " 'At a girl, Nina." He praised.

He had a habit of naming his favorite possessions. Nina was his most beloved and behind her was Cammy the cashmere slippers, Haley the Roomba, and Shannon the massage chair. Living the way he did, he didn't understand how anyone would choose an omega over free time and money. He didn't consider himself lonely at all. After all, he was with the only person he really got along with, himself.

When he arrived back at his two-story condo, he noticed the two black garbage bags in front of his house. 'It's probably time to take those to the dumpster.' He thought to himself. 'Dinner first, chores later.' He decided, going inside.

He walked into his stainless-steel kitchen and collected the pans and ingredients he needed. Bachelors like him usually hired help to clean the house and cook meals but Katsuki refused such a thing. He didn't like anyone's scent but his own in his house. Sure, alphas weren't naturally apt for home keeping and food preparation like omegas were but that didn't mean he couldn't do it. It took a lot of trial and error but Katsuki learned how to become a successful and independent man.

He made himself a spicy chicken paella and ate one serving alone in his kitchen, lazily scrolling through his phone. A little thump against the leg of his chair caused him to look down at the Roomba. It hit the chair, turned around, and started navigating around him. "You're still up, Hales?" He asked the robot. She didn't respond. "Fine, be like that." He responded, finishing up his dinner and leaving his plate in the sink. He stretched and slipped on his shoes. "I forgive you." He told the Roomba. "Tonight is Deep Thunder night so you caught me in a good mood."

Deep Thunder was his favorite crime drama that aired a new episode every Thursday. Every week, he sat down in his beloved massage chair and sipped a whiskey while he, alone, watched the new episode. Before he could get to that ritual, he had to take out the trash.

When we walked outside, he noticed that the sun had set and it had gotten chilly. His skin prickled at the biting cold as he walked to the front of the house. Almost immediately upon seeing the bags, he noticed something was off. There were three but for some reason, he had thought there were only two. He shrugged it off, assuming that he had simply remembered wrong. When he tried to pick up the unfamiliar bag, he found it too heavy to lift. The contents of the bag shifted slightly, surprising him.

Cautiously, he kicked the mysterious bag. It shifted again before toppling over. A little whimper came from inside the bad. Katsuki's heart was racing. 'What the hell!?' he wondered. 'Did it make a noise?'

Curiously, he pulled open the bag's opening a peered in, finding a little bush of green fluff. He touched it. "Hair?" He said out loud. "Did someone leave an animal of some sort here? Why?"

Without hesitation, he pulled open the bag further an took a better look. Finally, he could smell the creature. It was most definitely an omega, a human omega and it reeked of anxiety pheromones. Katsuki's heart pounded in his ears. He couldn't believe it. 'Why is this here? Who did this?' He sniffed again. It was a young male and it was in pain. Immediately, Katsuki felt a pulling on his heart.

He more he took in that scent, the more he had an urge to pick it up and help it. 'I should call the police…' he thought. His brain told him over and over to call the police and find help but his heart protested. 'Help omega…' he thought, surprised by his own desire. He'd never thought like that before but now, every fiber of his body was telling him to help this thing.

His instincts took hold of him after hearing the omega whimper again. He couldn't fight it. He carefully removed the plastic bag. He looked over the omega. It was small and frail. 'Why is it so skinny?' he wondered, his protective instincts growing stronger as he realized how truly vulnerable this thing was. It was covered in bruises and sores. He had almost no control over his body as he gently scooped it up and carried it in.

'Why the hell am I bringing it into my house?' He wondered. He just couldn't stand being outside with it, it wasn't safe. Whoever was responsible for this could come back. No, it had to be in his house. He locked the door behind him and closed all of his blinds. His heart kept telling him over and over to make the omega safe.

He laid the limp boy down on his couch. The omega's eyebrows remained knitted in pain, resting atop a freckled face. His overgrown green hair was a knotted mess and his skin was colored with bruises and dirt. It wore a dress shirt and briefs. Its feet were dressed in dry blood. 'Was it running from something?' Katsuki wondered, looking over the boy with interest. 'Or someone? Who? And why did they leave him here? How am I involved in this? I've never seen this person in my life… They must have me mistaken for someone else.'

Katsuki then noticed a drop of blood sliding along his couch cushion, down from the omega's head. Any other day, the sofa would have been his top priority but his instincts forced him to focus on the omega alone. The blonde fetched a towel from his kitchen and pressed it to the back of the omega's head firmly. He held he pressure for about fifteen minutes before the bleeding stopped. Next, he pushed a pillow under the stranger's head and covered him with a blanket to stop the shivering.

Katsuki found that he couldn't look away. He didn't want to leave the omega, it was near impossible to get up from his side. Giving up to instinct, he sat beside the couch and intently watched the omega. He sniffed it for a while. I smelled like garbage and fear, he could hardly make out any other human scents. As he looked it over, he noticed that its ankle was completely swollen. "How'd you get that?" He asked, touching the pained limb. The omega emitted another whine and its pain pheromones grew stronger. Without Katsuki's permission, his body responded, releasing comfort pheromones. Alphas and omegas were naturally built to respond to one another. The omega quickly calmed down.

'What on earth is wrong with me?' Katsuki wondered. 'Am I loosing my mind? Where did my free will go? How come I can't control myself anymore? Where do these strong urges come from?' Of course, he knew the answer. They were natural instinct. As a trainer for omegas, he had learned a lot about alpha's natural reaction to omegas so that he could help the omegas prepare for them. He knew that an omega's pain pheromone had the second highest alpha response power, right behind heat pheromones. When an omega was in pain, no alpha could ignore it. It automatically triggered protective instincts in the other sex.

With the omega calmed down, Katsuki was finally able to divert his attention. He turned on the TV, putting on the new episode of Deep Thunder. He managed to watch it but without much concentration. He kept looking over at the omega. He would put his hand beside the omega's parted lips, feeling its breath to ensure that it was alive. Finally, after two hours, it parted its eyes.

Katsuki immediately took note of the dazzling green hue of his irises. The omega watched Katsuki for a few moments in confusion before realizing that it was in a strange place with a strange alpha. It became afraid, scrambling to get its feet under itself before yelping in pain due to the sprained ankle.

Katsuki responded immediately. "Don't move!" he ordered, filling the room with his comforting scent. Both men's hearts were racing in this standoff. The omega's emerald eyes were dilated in fear. They darted around the house, trying to figure out where he was. He picked up the pillow that had been under his head and held it in front of himself for protection. A new scent started coming off the boy, one of danger.

'He's preparing to fight.' Katsuki's heart told him. 'Back up… I should back up from him…' The blonde slowly regressed, stepping away until there was a good fifty feet between them. The omega began to calm down.

Katsuki spoke first. "Who are you?" He asked.

The omega didn't respond, only stared with his big doe eyes.

"You can hear, can't you?"

The omega made no indication one way or the other.

'Is it deaf?' Katsuki wondered. 'Or possibly mute?' He pointed to the omega's swollen ankle. "That." He said, speaking loudly. "Your ankle. It's sprained isn't it?"

The boy glanced at his ankle then gently touched it, acknowledging that it was hurt.

When Katsuki stepped forward to examine it, the omega became aggressive again, this time showing his teeth as a warning. That ticked Katsuki off. "Are you snarling at me!?" He growled. "Who do you think you are, Omega? You show up at my house, uninvited, and I had the decency to help you out now you try to pick a fight with me?"

He got closer, triggering the omega to attack. It was a pathetic attempt. He lunged at the alpha, clinging to him with sharp fingernails and biting into the shoulder desperately. In just seconds, Katsuki had the weaker male pinned to the ground, his overwhelming alpha pheromones dominating the room. The omega squealed and fought against the other man until the alpha had no choice but to nip the omega's throat. This gesture made the omega submit, his limbs going limp.

Katsuki sat back, panting. Even though the omega wasn't being held down, he didn't dare move. The alpha had claimed dominance as proved by the little red ring of teeth imprints on the side of his neck. This was the most venerable spot on his whole body, the spot that would someday bare the marking of his partner.

Katsuki retrieved his wrapping supplies and when he returned, the omega was in the same position as before. He hadn't even tried to unlock the front door. Katsuki wrapped his ankle then put a plate of cold paella beside him on the ground. Then he just stepped back and gave the omega space. After a few minutes, the omega sat up. He looked at his wrapped ankle then at the food. Katsuki watched curiously as the omega examined his plate. He met the alpha's eyes, starting to see that this alpha wasn't truly dangerous.

He cautiously pulled apart the chicken with his fingers and fed himself some. Finding that it was safe, he dug it, scarfing down the plate like a starved animal. His hands and face became dirty with the yellowish sauce. Suddenly, he stopped eating. Katsuki cocked his head. 'Did he already become full?' He wondered. His question was answered when the omega's hands suddenly gripped his stomach and hunched over, vomiting up everything he'd just eaten.

Katsuki rushed over. "For Christ's sake!" he scolded. He looked over his ruined rug. The omega was scared but sat still, submissively, his head down. "Get up!" Katsuki ordered. The trembling omega tried to get to its feat but the swollen ankle was still too weak. He crumbled back to the ground with a yelp. Katsuki sighed in annoyance as he picked up the dirty omega. He brought him into the bathroom and put him in the tub. "Wash." He ordered, leaving to work on salvaging his expensive rug.

"Useless piece of shit…" he grumbled to himself as he created a mountain of dirty paper towels. "Omegas only know how to cause problems, especially this one. I need to call the authorities or something. Why should I be the one to have to deal with this?"

Suddenly, a little voice disturbed Katsuki's thoughts. "Al…pha…" It whispered. He wasn't sure if it was real or imagined until it repeated. "Alpha…"

It's wasn't common at all for an omega to refer to an alpha by their title. It was used either to show great respect, as in the case of the national emperor, or during intimate times when an omega wanted to emphasize their partner's dominance. It was used to acknowledged one's own submission.

Katsuki was stunned and flattered by the word. He'd never been referred to by his title before. He found himself following the voice into the bathroom where the stranger sat naked in a tub of warm water. He held out the washcloth timidly. "I… I can't reach my back… please…"

For the first time, Katsuki noticed the omega in a different way. It was actually a little bit cute. Sure, it was something that needed to be protected and cared for, but it wasn't too horribly annoying. He took the wash cloth and gently cleaned his back, his own face flushed. When he finished, he handed back the towel. The boy nodded in thanks. Katsuki sat on the ground beside the tub.

"What's you name?" He asked again after seeing that the omega could speak.

"Mi-Midoriya." He answered shyly.

"Midoriya? Do you… know why you're here?"

Midoriya shook his head. "No. Why?"

"I don't know either. You were outside my house in a garbage bag. I didn't see anyone come or go. What kind of trouble did you get yourself into?"

The greenette thought about his question. "I don't know." He finally answered.

"What did the people who left you on my porch say?"

"I… I don't remember who put me there or why…"

"How could you not remember something like that?"

"I don't know… wait, if you're not involved in that… then why did you bring me into your house?"

Katsuki blushed. Why did he feel responsible for this omega? Why did he want to take care of it? "Who would just turn away from something like that? Just don't make yourself a burden, okay?" he said, leaving the bathroom on account of the warmth in his cheeks.

He went into his kitchen and made a cup of plain brown rice for Midoriya. Every instinct in his body told him to care for the omega. Midoriya limped out from the bathroom after a few more minutes wearing only a towel over himself as his over-grown hair dripped. Katsuki sighed in annoyance. "Don't drip onto the floor wet, you idiot. This is real hardwood."

The omega nodded, immediately removing the towel from his body to wrap around his head. Katsuki's face turned red at the shameless display of his body. "Hey! Idiot! That's not what I meant!"

"But… I can't keep both covered at once…" Midoriya explained.

Katsuki grumbled and annoyance and took Midoriya's hand, his head intentionally turned away as he led him down the hall to his bedroom. The omega limped but managed to keep up. He pulled out a t-shirt, a pair of boxers, and a pair of sweatpants. "Cover yourself with these." He ordered, setting them on the bed and turning away.

"Okay." Midoriya responded. He began to dress. "By the way… I don't know your name." He seemed to have relaxed more with Katsuki.

"Is there a reason you need to know it?" The blonde countered.

"Is there a reason for you to keep it a secret?" He answered smartly.

"I don't think I want my name associated with someone like you."

"But you don't know what kind of person I am."

"You're the type of person who has enemies, that's all I need to know."

"If you're going to be so stubborn, I guess I could give you a nickname."

Katsuki was annoyed by the omega's sudden boost of courage. He turned around and looked into the green eyes. "If you continue to annoy me, there's going to be no where for you to sleep tonight." He growled.

Midoriya nodded, quietly exiting the room. He did all the dishes in the sink before throwing away the stack of paper towels. Then he set to work on the carpet, managing to remove the stain. Despite his growling stomach, he didn't dare touch the rice on the stove. This wasn't his house and it wasn't his food. He was careful not to step on the alpha's toes.

He had never met such an aggressive alpha. Usually, when an omega was vulnerable, alphas would be glad to come to the rescue. They loved to coddle omegas, it was in their nature, but this one was different. He was territorial and defensive. That being said, Midoriya had a feeling that, deeper down, he was actually a little nice.

Midoriya sat on the floor until Katsuki emerged from his room. He looked at the omega and then noticed that the house was clean. "Did you clean up in here?" He asked, a bit surprised.

Midoriya nodded. "I made most of the mess and after all, I don't want to be a burden." The greenette responded, showing off his docile side. He didn't know this alpha but he knew he was safe and that he wanted to stay in this nice, safe, house rather than the street.

"Ah…" Katsuki responded, a little flustered by the cute omega. He walked into the kitchen and found the rice untouched. "Come eat." He said. Midoriya happily obeyed, taking the bowl offered to him. "I didn't put any seasonings in it so it shouldn't upset your stomach. Eat it slowly."

The greenette gave a little smile. "Thank you. You've been very kind to me." He said, playing the blonde like a fiddle.

Katsuki blushed. "Sure."

Midoriya took his bowl and sat back down on the hardwood, tenderly favoring his swollen ankle. Katsuki watched as he fed himself with his fingers before finally clearing his throat. The doe-eyed omega looked up at him. "You're not really in a state to be sitting on the floor. The sofa would be better." He said.

Midoriya smiled and resituated himself on the sofa. Katsuki walked by, dropping a spoon at the omega's side. "There are blankets in the cabinet under the TV." He announced. "You can stay on the sofa tonight."

"Thank you." He responded to Katsuki's back as the man walked down the hallway to his bedroom. The door shut and Midoriya was alone. Now that he had some space, he got a blanket from cabinet, wrapped himself up in it, and crawled up onto the couch. He couldn't help but cry. Why couldn't he remember? Why didn't he know how he ended up here or why? Where was he from? What happened? Who was he? He knew his name, his age… but what else?

He was scared. He didn't know who hurt him or if they were going to come back. He didn't know where to go from here or who he could turn to. He covered his face and sobbed, his whole body shaking. He didn't notice that the alpha had come back out of his room to retrieve his phone charger. "Hey, Midoriya?" He asked softly, causing the omega to jump. He looked to the man with puffy red eyes and wet cheeks. He cleared his throat and wiped his face.

"Yeah?" the omega asked.

"Hey…" He wasn't quite sure what to say. "Um… actually, that blanket is kind of old. Let me get you a different one." Katsuki went back into his room and returned with the comforter off of his bed. It was drenched in comforting alpha scent. Midoriya accepted it and immediately felt relaxed.

Katsuki nodded and went back to his room, mumbling a brief "Night". Wrapped in Katsuki's blanket, the omega was able to go to sleep, warm and surrounded in the scent of safety. The alpha had to cover himself with an old quilt but surprisingly, it didn't upset him too much. He felt accomplished. He felt that he had fulfilled a primitive longing, the desire to care for an omega. It was satisfying like fulling an empty stomach with warm food.

In the morning, Katsuki emerged from his room to find that a thick slab of ham, gravy, and a pile of fluffy scrambled eggs were waiting for him in a pan on the stove. Midoriya sat at the table, waiting for the alpha to serve himself first. It was proper manners.

Katsuki curiously looked over the food. "You made this?" He asked, getting two plates out of the cabinet.

"Yes." Midoriya answered.

The alpha leaned over the pan and took in the smell. The scent alone made his mouth water. "You haven't eaten yet?"

"No."

"Why not?"

The omega was surprised by this question. "Because… it's not my food and this isn't my house."

"What sort of stupid logic is that?" Katsuki asked as he dropped a heaping portion of the meal on a plate and set it on the table in front of the greenette before serving himself too. "I have plenty of food and it's not hard to buy more so formalities like that really aren't worth shit. Just eat when you're hungry."

"O-okay." The omega nodded, digging into his breakfast. "Are you going somewhere today?"

"Work." The alpha answered bluntly.

"Ah, I see… then… I'll pack up these blankets and clean the dishes so I can get out of your way."

"You're leaving?" Katsuki didn't understand why that thought bothered him. Somehow, he had claimed responsibility for the little omega.

"Should I stay?" Midoriya blushed a little.

"You're skinny as a twig and your ankle isn't good enough to walk on yet. I mean, leave if you want to, fuck if I care. Just know that you probably won't last a day out there without an alpha."

The greenette nodded. "If it won't bother you too much, then I guess I should stay here just a little while longer."

"Don't bother me if the key term there. Now listen up. In this house, there are a few who are your superiors and have earned my adoration such as the Roomba, the massage chair, and my slippers. Don't go thinking you're the king of the castle while I'm gone, they still rank above you."

Midoriya nodded, not really understanding the strange logic behind Katsuki's favoritism. 'He's really not like any other alpha. An omega can be mated with and can provide offspring yet a pair of shoes wins his interest? He's a weird guy…' The green-eyed boy thought.

Katsuki stood up from the table and retrieved a scrap of paper from his junk drawer and scribbled something on it before hanging it on the fridge with a magnet. "That's my phone number. Do not call unless it's an emergency. I mean it. If you call to ask my favorite color, I'll put you back out like a stray cat."

'He's kind of mean…' Midoriya noticed. 'Because of his personality and crazy hair, he kind of seems like a hedgehog.' The greenette giggled.

"You think I'm joking?" The alpha snarled.

"N-no, sorry. My hair just tickled the back of my neck, that's all."

Katsuki rolled his eyes. "Don't break anything and don't get too comfy, got it?"

The omega agreed and watched the alpha leave. He sat still for a few minutes, making sure the alpha wasn't coming back before getting up and snooping around the house. "You live alone, right, Mr. Hedgehog?" he asked the empty house. He searched for some clue as to who this man was but found that the condo was completely impersonal. "Why don't you have any photos? You must have family and friends." He searched every bookshelf and coffee table. He sniffed every room, trying to catch the scent of another person but it was only the alpha.

"That's weird… I wonder if he's really alone? How old is he? Probably somewhere in his twenties. Most alphas have an omega by his age. I wonder why I don't have one either…" he felt the smooth skin of his neck. There was no marking at all. "We must both be weird." He decided.

As he walked around he house, he finally found the Roomba. He watched it curiously. "So, Mr. Hedgehog says you're my superior." He greeted. The little whirring robot navigated a chair leg. "Hey, tell me honestly, does Mr. Hedgehog had an object fetish? I've heard of people who marry buildings or toys. If that's the case, it would make sense why he lives here alone. You're his omega." The greenette gave a courteous bow to the machine. "Thank you for hosting me, Mrs. Hedgehog. I'll be a good house guest."

Meanwhile, at work, Katsuki watched the scene at home unfold on his iPad with a red face. He had just wanted to check his security cameras and make sure the omega wasn't causing any problems. 'What the hell is he doing?' He wondered. He was infuriated by Midoriya's crazy assumption about his sexual preferences but somehow, the fact that he bowed to the Roomba was really cute to Katsuki.

"Mr. Bakugo? Your nine o'clock appointment is here!" his secretary called, prompting him to turn off the iPad and slip it back into his bag. He smacked his cheeks a few times, trying to dispel the heat.

Back at home, Midoriya continued searching the house for more information about the alpha. He looked at the books he owned, noticing that a lot of them were about health and fitness or about psychology. Midoriya selected one of the books called "The Alpha: A Complete Understanding of Alphan Psychology."

He brought it with him to the couch before nesting in the alpha's blanket and cracking it open to a random page. "Does every Alpha mate?" He read the chapter title aloud. "While 81% alphas will settle down with an omega by the age of 25, recent surveys show that nearly 6% will never mate and .04% will practice celebacy for their whole lives. This is a stark contrast to the population of adult celibate omegas which totals less than .0001%. Unmated alphas are more common than unmated omegas for multiple reasons, some of the most prevalent of these causes being failure to earn omegan interest and lack of natural sex drive."

Midoriya looked up from the book and surveyed the empty house again. "He's rich and handsome so he could probably find a mate if he wanted one. Maybe he doesn't want one. I guess some people are just like that." Midoriya read for a while, hoping to find insight on how to win favor with the alpha. He needed this man's help.

He replaced the book with other from the shelf called "Attraction science- explaining our desires with science". The book detailed what each gender found attractive about each other and why. Midoriya navigated to the section that detailed what an alpha wanted in an omega.

He read aloud. "While preferences may very with fashion trends and personal biases, most alphas prefer petite omegas with recognizable body fat. The explanation is simple. Smaller stature draws on an alpha's natural desire to protect the weak and a healthy amount of body fat indicates fertility and an omega's ability to successfully carry an infant."

Midoriya cringed at this blunt explanation and closed the book. It sounded so clinical to explain it that way. He looked down at his own body that was worryingly devoid of fat. He pinched his belly, barely able to get any meat between his fingers. He ran his fingers over his protruding ribs and spine. 'That's not good… how did I get so skinny? Am I really, really, poor? Or maybe whoever kidnapped be had me for a while. Maybe I can wear baggy clothes until I gain some weight.'

He got up and looked in the alpha's fridge for something fatty. He found another cut of ham and fried it in a pan. 'I wonder if I could get pregnant with my body like this… probably not. Well, it's not like I'm trying anyways.' He thought, humming to himself as he added spices to his lunch. After looking down at his knobby knees, he decided to boil a sweet potato too.

He ate as much as he could then waited an hour and ate more. His stomach hurt so after doing the dishes, he got back into his blanket nest and went to sleep, waking up only when he heard keys in the front door. He lifted his head, expectantly watching the doorknob turn. "You're home." He greeted with a sleepy smile when the blonde walked in.

Katsuki was surprised by the cute sight and sweet greeting. His cheeks flushed. "Yeah…" he responded. He wasn't used to this. He always came home to an empty house but now, someone was waiting or him. He walked past the omega, going to the bathroom to shower off a day's worth of sweat when he was stopped in his tracks.

"Wait! A-alpha." The little one called out, making the blonde turn around with a confused and flustered expression.

'Again?' The alpha thought. 'Once is once, twice is weird. That title is too intimate.' He cleared his throat. "Stop calling me that."

"You never told me your name. Is there something else I should call you?" The omega asked. 'He's blushing a lot,' he noticed. 'He must have some sex drive if he's responding this way to that name.'

"What was it that you needed to say?" He asked, changing the subject.

"I'll start dinner. What do you want to eat?"

Katsuki was taken aback by the offer. No one had cooked for him since his last family dinner three years ago. "Oh, yeah, fine. Anything's fine." He dismissed, leaving for the bathroom.

Midoriya slowly got out of his warm blankets and started going through the fridge. And found that there wasn't much of anything, just a few things here and there so he started a pot of stew.

The blonde hardly ever found himself in need of sexual satisfaction, most time it didn't even cross his mind, but that day was different. Once he was done washing himself in the shower, he leaned against the wall and stroked himself. He panted and supported himself with one toned arm while his hand wrapped around his member, roughly tugging at it until he finished.

He figured it was just all the omega pheromones around and usage of the alpha title that had caused him to build up some sexual frustration. While he was waiting for his knot to deflate, he ran the vent in the bathroom to clear out lust pheromones. He didn't want the omega to smell it and get aroused too. After all, he wasn't interested in finding a mate. He was just going to help the omega out a bit then get rid of him. He liked living alone.

When Katsuki joined Midoriya in the kitchen, the omega sniffed curiously. The alpha had the remnants of a strange scent. "What do you do for work, Nameless Man?" He asked, stirring the pot.

"I'm a trainer at a gym." He responded boredly, scrolling through social media on his phone.

"Really? So you help body builders get buffer?"

"Not really." Katsuki was finding it hard to give his attention to his phone. The omega persisted.

"No? Then what do you do?"

"Why are you so curious? Mind your own business." He growled. Things were quieter before the omega came.

"Well, you're the only person that I'm sure I know, I can't remember anyone else, so I want to know you better."

Katsuki sighed and closed the app on his phone, looking up at the omega with a scowl. "I teach self-defense to omegas."

"Oh! That's cool. Maybe if I went to you before, I wouldn't be here with you now."

"Maybe not but there's always something you can't plan for."

The omega nodded. "Could you teach me something?"

"What?"

"I don't know… but if someone tries to hurt me again, I want to be able to stop that from happening."

Katsuki thought about it for a while. "Fine. Tomorrow."

"Thank you, Al-" He stopped himself, remembering that the blonde had gotten angry last time. He thought of the title as a sign of deep respect.

"Just call be Katsuki." The alpha said, annoyed.

"Okay, Kacchan~"

"Is that what I told you to call me?" He growled.

"No… It's just a nickname." He submissively lowered his eyes.

"It's Katsuki or nothing."

"Okay, Katsuki." The omega said, trying out the name. All the hard sounds in it suited the man's bitter attitude. "You sure have a lot of books. Did you go to school?"

"Of course, I did." He grumbled. "Major in fitness and wellness, minor in psychology."

Midoriya nodded, feeling kind of pathetic next to this man. He had money, a nice house, and a good education. Midoriya had none of those things, he didn't even have memories of his own life.

Katsuki noticed this shift in the omega's mood and felt a slight pulling on his heart strings. "Did you go to school?"

"I don't know… I probably got some secondary education, right? But other than that… I don't know…"

"Oh…" Katsuki was never nice to anyone but for this pathetic, starved, lonely, omega, he could make an exception. "Well, you can read my books while I'm at work… and my neighbor down the street is a preschool teacher so, I dunno, I can introduce you and maybe he can teach you something. It's whatever."

"An alpha?"

"Yeah. His name is Todoroki. Don't worry, he's super lame so he won't try anything with you and his beta sister lives with him too so she can keep an eye on things."

Midoriya smiled, recognizing that Katsuki was trying to lift his spirits. The greenette had the incredible ability to be an optimist about anything. "I'd like that. Maybe I'll go get a degree later so I can make a lot of money and live somewhere nice like this. I may not have anything now but… we live in a nation where omegas have a lot of opportunities. In some nations today, they're still sold at their first heat or recognized as legal property. I know I don't look privileged but I could have a career if I wanted too and have my own money so I feel lucky."

Katsuki was completely awestruck by the omega's buoyancy. Many of his wealthy alpha friends still found things to complain about yet this little omega was grateful to the world despite his shitty luck. Katsuki had always thought omegas were so whiny and needy but this one was different. This one was kind of cute and strong. His cheeks began to feel warm again so he got up. "You've been wearing that since yesterday, I'll get you a change of clothes." He excused, leaving to his room.

He returned after his face had calmed down with a hoodie and pair of jeans. The omega thanked him and changed in the bathroom while the stew cooked on the stove. He had to hold up the loose jeans but he didn't want to complain about it. After all, the alpha was already being generous.

Katsuki sat back at the table, not noticing the poor fit of the pants until Midoriya went to grab two bowls from the cabinet and they fell down to his knees. He quickly put the bowl on the counter and pulled them back up. The alpha sat there in shocked silence before laughter erupted from his throat. This omega was cute… really cute. "Why didn't you just say that they're too big?" He asked the frustrated boy between chuckles.

"I-it's embarrassing!" he defended, his whole face tomato red. "Omegas are supposed to have nice bodies and butts that fit in pants. My body is really kind of embarrassing like this…"

Katsuki's chuckling died down. "Relax. Everyone's so concerned with what an omega should be and what an alpha should be but it doesn't really matter that much. In the end, your body isn't going to be enough to find you a partner. The people who say looks are everything are the ones with shit personalities."

"You studied psychology, you know better than anyone that alphas are blind to omegas who can't breed. That's the purpose of an omega, right?"

"Aren't I an alpha?" The blonde asked bluntly.

"Well… yes…" Midoriya mumbled.

"I can see you just fine."

The greenette watched the alpha curiously. He was more than expected. Under all of his anger and coldness, he was quite soft. Quite caring, Quite sweet. As Midoriya thought this, a memory started vaguely forming in his mind's eye. He had remembered reading a story like this one. It was called… what was it? Beauty and the Beast? Yeah, that was it. A cold monster who was secretly gentle and kind. Midoriya watched the foggy memory replay in his head. He held hands with someone. His mother? Yes… his mother. She sat on the bed with him and read that story to him from a picture book. She was warm and smelled like chamomile.

Tears began rolling down Midoriya's face. The alpha panicked. He couldn't smell fear or anxiety pheromones but his instincts still told him that the omega was hurt and needed protection. "What's wrong?" He asked, his heart racing.

The boy smiled and wiped his eyes. "I… I remembered my mom…" he explained. It felt like he was facing out into a sea of darkness and suddenly, a lighthouse appeared. He didn't feel so hopeless or so alone. He smiled at Katsuki, the handsome and secretly kind alpha. This man was his lighthouse.


	2. Stories

Katsuki ate the dinner that the omega had cooked. It infuriated him that, even though this boy had just crawled out of a garbage bag with no memories, he was still the better cook of the both of them. He didn't need recipes or practice like Katsuki did. Omegas had finer taste buds that were better tuned for cooking. They could taste some spices just by smelling them. It was a trait developed in the early times of humanity when the omegas were charged with gathering berries and roots to feed their tribes. They had to quickly identify every scent and every taste to be successful.

Many differences between the sexes were developed in their long prehistoric period and lacked necessity in the modern times. Most people lived in first world cities with a high standard of living. Most alphas didn't need to build up muscle and most omegas didn't need to have innate housekeeping skills but those things became bred into human culture and there they remained.

The two ate together quietly, tears still spitting out of Midoriya as he spooned stew into his mouth. He didn't really know how to stop, he figured it would just stop on its own.

Katsuki decided to break the silence. "What do you want to make for tomorrow? We should go buy ingredients tonight."

That proposal made Midoriya anxious. The house was safe but he didn't know what the world was like on the other side of that door. "I'll make you a list and you can go without me." The omega negotiated.

"I'm not going to let you coop up in here, it's not your house, it's mine. Someday you're going to leave it so you should start getting used to going outside now."

The boy wrapped his arms around his skinny body. The bruises were still tender, his hair was long and curly. He looked like a street rat. People would look at him badly. Dangerous alphas would see him as easy prey. "Katsuki…" He whispered, looking to the alpha with pleading eyes.

It was hard for the alpha to oppose him. He was cute and Katsuki's instincts told him not to make the boy scared. He had a strong desire to protect the boy, to keep him safe. "We'll stay together, you'll be fine."

The omega nodded. How was he supposed to argue with this alpha? He clearly had the upper hand. It was his roof over Midoriya's head and his food in Midoriya's stomach. The boy was weak and had nothing. 'What if he leaves me at the store because I bother him too much? I don't know where to go. I don't know how to contact my family. Without Katsuki, I'm helpless. I can't fight off an alpha, I can't buy food. There would be no soft bed and no warm bath.' He was trembling in fear, emitting strong anxiety pheromones.

The blonde quickly realized he was being too hard on the omega. His body naturally responded with a comforting scent. "Your ankle is still hurt so we won't stay long. Five minutes max." He reassured. "If something bad happens, I'll fix it, okay? So stop worrying."

Midoriya ate slowly, hoping the super market would close before he finished but, in the end, he couldn't get out of it. He changed back into the sweatpants because the elastic held them on his bony hips and put on a pair of Katsuki's sneakers. It gave him a little reassurance to know that, because he was wearing Katsuki's clothes, he smelled like he belonged to an alpha. Hopefully that would deter any other alphas from messing with him.

They got into Katsuki's nice car, Midoriya watching out the window nervously as they drove to the supermarket. 'It's going to be fine.' The omega told himself. 'I'm fine. Katsuki wouldn't leave me, he's going to protect me.'

When they reached the store, he stuck to the alpha like glue, glancing around at the strangers in the store. Midoriya held a basket on his arm and together, they went down the aisles, filled it with all sorts of pastas and an expensive curry paste. When they got into the produce section, they started choosing vegetables from the piles.

Because Katsuki was accustomed to being alone, he didn't even think twice about leaving the omega's side when he sudden remembered that he needed new batteries for the smoke detector. The greenette, however, was not as casual about being left alone. He turned around and saw that the blonde was gone. He frantically looked around but the alpha was nowhere.

His heart raced and he poured out anxious pheromones, drawing everyone's attention. 'He left me…' Midoriya thought, his body shaking. 'He's gone… I'm alone, there's no one. I'm alone and venerable and helpless…'

He was so consumed in his own thoughts that he didn't even recognize a group of alphas approaching him. They all wore school uniforms. They were just teenagers, but still, they were bigger than Midoriya and full of sexual frustration. 'No, no, no, no, no…' the omega thought, clutching the basket tight.

"Hey, what's got you all worked up, Omega?" One boy asked.

"No worries, let some alphas help you out, okay?" His friend added.

"I'm fine." Midoriya dismissed, unable to hide the frailty of his voice. He looked and sounded like a wounded baby dear.

The leader of the boys took the basket from Midoriya's arms despite the omega's protests. "Here, I'll carry this for you. In fact, why don't I just pick up the tab today, okay?"

"I can pay for it myself." He argued, trying to get the basket back but the taller man held it above his reach.

"Sure you could but then you'd be out fifty bucks and we'd be alone tonight. Let's turn a lose-lose into a win-win. What do you say?"

"I-I have an alpha." He lied. "He's really strong and scary so just give me back my basket before you make trouble. I'm not interested." Midoriya's knees felt weak and his ankle was ready to give out. 'No… don't quit on me now, body! Stay strong! If I collapse, what's to keep them from just picking me up and taking me with them?'

"You have an alpha? That's weird, because you don't have a mark. Stop being such a prude. We just want to take you out for a drink, alright? We'll have some beers then whatever happens, happens." He sighed and smirked. "Man, you're tense. You really need to loosen up." With one light push, Midoriya fell to the ground, yelping and releasing pain pheromones. On the other side of the store, Katsuki began to get a whiff of the strong smell. 'Pain? Oh shit…' he though, following the scent. Every nerve in his body screamed for violence.

"He didn't even touch you, Drama queen." One of the boys sneered.

"No need to be such a bitch about it." The leader growled, dropping the basket in front of Midoriya. It clattered to the ground, spilling its contents everywhere. "No wonder you're not marked. If you act like that every time an alpha tries to do something nice for you, you'll stay an unmarked virgin your whole life. The stereotype of a pure and dainty omega is so outdated, get with the times. It's not cute, it's just annoying."

The omega didn't know what to do. He pulled the hood of his sweatshirt over his head to hide. He didn't want them to see him cry, that would only make everything worse. 'Why did he leave me?' he wondered. 'Was I really that much of a burden? What am I going to do? The world is full of alphas like these ones…'

Katsuki quickly found the omega and understood where the pain pheromones were coming from. His instincts told him to be merciless. "The fuck do you think you're doing?" He asked the small pack, his voice drenched in danger.

The pack was immediately intimidated by his violent aura but puffed out their chests all the same, willing to stand their guard. It was three to one, they were pretty confident. "Nothing, man, mind your own business. We found it first." The leader growled.

"It?" Katsuki snarled, landing the leader on the floor with one hard punch to the cheek. The others immediately backed down, diverting their gaze from Katsuki in a sign of submission. His alpha pheromones were overpowering. When it came to public violence, the laws were designed in favor of alphas protecting their omegas because it was well known that instincts could overwhelm an alpha's better judgement. Katsuki would not get in trouble for assaulting a boy, even if he was a minor.

The high schoolers quietly helped their dizzy friend up and led him away. That omega was clearly the other alpha's territory. Katsuki watched the pack leave before looking down and seeing Midoriya sniffling as he tried to collect the groceries back up. He sighed.

"Come on, Idiot, get up." He said softly.

The omega kept his head down, softly collecting the raw pasta that had broken out of its box.

"If you're waiting for an apology, you're not going to get one. How am I supposed to control other alphas?" He was getting frustrated. Why wouldn't the boy just look at him? Had he really hurt him that badly?

Midoriya rubbed his eyes with his sleeve, sniffling again as he continued to ignore his abandoner.

Katsuki couldn't take it. He didn't know why but he actually cared what the omega though of him. He squatted down so only the boy would hear. "Look… I'm sorry I left you… I didn't mean to, it just slipped my mind. I'm not used to having an omega around."

Finally, Midoriya lifted his teary eyes. "Don't leave me again." He said in a little whisper.

The alpha's heart ached looking at the greenette. 'Poor thing… he's so scared… I'm a piece of shit. If I had stayed with him like I promised, this wouldn't have happened. What kind of an alpha lets an omega under their care get bullied by a pack? He's right… this is on me.'

"I won't." He promised, helping up the trembling omega. He quickly bought the groceries and got Midoriya into the car safely. He'd seen omegas get picked on before. In his line of work, he saw and heard about it every day but this was somehow different. He was responsible for this omega. Midoriya's embarrassment and fear were his fault, his failing.

"Are you okay? Did those guys hurt you?" He asked his silent passenger.

"I'm okay…"

He didn't know what else to say so he just spoke his mind. "You shouldn't let them push you around. Just because you're an omega doesn't mean you have to submit."

"It's not that easy. When you smell alphas, your instinct is to fight. When I smell alphas, my instinct is to not fight. Fighting is a last resort for me not because I'm a pacifist but because nature tells me to submit. We're not all alphas, okay? Some are winners and some are losers." He grumbled, tears still prickling at the corners of his eyes.

Katsuki was shocked by the response. For all the psychology he had studied, he'd never seen the differences between the sexes through an omega's eyes. Everything he read in books was written clinically. His books had said, "The omega's natural lack of acedimin and pyflorinide in the brain result in their natural inclination for submission when given the option between fight or flight" but they never said, "Omegas are forced to feel weak and embarrassed because of their sex". It was something completely different to hear it that way.

Katsuki didn't know how to feel or how to respond. He didn't really understand what it meant to be weak… at least, not from an omegan perspective. He'd never had his memories beaten out of him or been shoved in a plastic bag and left at a strange place. Is that what it meant to be the other sex? To live at the mercy of alphas? Anyone could beat you up anywhere and there wasn't much you could do about it…

They got back to Katsuki's condo and the ashamed omega when right to the couch where the thick comforter was waiting. He climbed in and buried himself in the linen until he was completely hidden. He wanted to hide. He hadn't wanted to leave the house to begin with, he wanted to avoid that harsh world.

Katsuki put away the groceries then did the dishes, hoping Midoriya would get too hot in the blanket or simply calm down and pop his head out but that wasn't the case. He remained hidden. Katsuki wasn't good at expressing feelings. He didn't know what to say or how. He solved all his problems with kickboxing but that wasn't an option in this circumstance. He sat down on the couch beside the hidden omega and turned on the TV, waiting to see if he'd get curious and peek out.

Katsuki tried different channels but nothing successfully lured the omega out. He gave up with a sigh, turning off the TV and getting up from the couch. Midoriya felt his heart sink a little. He liked having the alpha by him, even if he couldn't see him. It felt comforting to not be alone. He was pleasantly surprised when he heard the footsteps return and felt Katsuki join him on the couch again. This time, Midoriya heard the tuning of an acoustic guitar before the instrument began to gently sing. 'Is that Katsuki?' he wondered. Curiosity got the best of him and soon, his foresty hair and bright eyes broke out of the blanket nest.

The alpha was too focused on the instrument in his lap to notice his audience. The tune was light and soft, pulling a little smile out of Midoriya. He watched the alpha's hands carefully pick chords and strum the upbeat pattern. They were so different from his own hands. His knuckles were more prominent and the angles of his muscles were stronger. Midoriya's hands, on the other hand, were naturally smooth and lithe.

The music stopped when Midoriya reached out and gently set the pads of his fingertips against the slim neck of the guitar. Katsuki lifted his eyes, his chest filling with pride for successfully drawing out the shy omega. That warm feeling in his stomach was back, the sense of satisfaction. "Show me?" The boy requested quietly.

"You'll have to come out of the blanket." He coaxed.

Slowly, Midoriya shed his shelter and held out his arms to accept the instrument. Katsuki had never let anyone hold his guitar before but then again, he'd never made as many exceptions to his usual life for anyone but Midoriya.

He directed the omega with a relaxed voice, placing his fingers on the strings in the right configuration. "Hold down hard, even if it hurts your fingers." He instructed. He did the rest, finger-picking a nice medley. This accomplishment earned him a big, excited smile from the smaller man. Surprisingly, he couldn't help but mirror the expression.

He'd known the omega was cute but now, he was begging to realize that he was kind of pretty too. Why hadn't he noticed that the boy's face was speckled like a robin's egg with coffee stain freckles? And why was it just now that he realized the olive-green shimmer of those thick eyelashes? Once he put on some weight, he'd have a nice smooth jaw and gently sloped nose.

Katsuki cleared his throat and looked away, feeling that familiar warmth in his face again. "That blanket's not for you to live in, got it? I'll take it back if you keep using it like a rabbit hole." He scolded, putting on his tough façade again to save face.

The omega chuckled, his heart lifted by the music. "That was pretty uncool of me, wasn't it? Feeling bad for yourself doesn't really make anything better. From now on, I won't let that kind of stuff get to me." He promised.

Katsuki felt his heart in his throat. The omega's enduring spirit always amazed him. He admired the plucky little greenette. He was so different from other omegas. Sure, he was a cry baby but he didn't ask to be babied. He was physical weak but incredibly strong-willed. Katsuki just nodded approvingly.

The omega yawned. "You wanted to watch TV before, right?"

Katsuki shook his head. Usually, he would get home and watch a show or two before heading to bed but now, there was something more interesting to give his attention to. "Not really." He mumbled. "Are you a TV watcher?"

"Me? I don't think so but… I guess I don't know. I can't remember ever watching a TV show. Do you usually watch it?"

He shrugged. For the first time, he felt a little embarrassed about sitting at home alone with his electronics all the time. "There's this one crime show I like, that's all."

"Like… Police and detectives?" The boy asked with genuine interest. Katsuki couldn't help but quirk up a little smile when he noticed the boy's luminescent expression.

"Yeah, like that. A bad guy will kill someone or pull of a massive heist then the detective team will find them and bring them to justice." He explained.

The omega was intrigued. "Like real life heroes!" He said. "Hey, tell me one of the stories." The boy requested, his eyes glistening.

Katsuki felt kind of cool in front of the easily impressed omega. "What kind of a request is that? Just watch the show."

"Please?" He gently tugged the blonde's sleeve.

Normally, Katsuki would have refused something so stupid but he was so passionate about this show and this omega actually wanted to hear him talk about it so he gave in. "Just one." He agreed.

Midoriya got comfortable in his seat, awaiting his story excitedly. One story turned into five, each more thrilling than the last. Midoriya could imagine it all perfectly, as if the actors were chasing down the motorcycling cereal killer right before his eyes. Katsuki was having just as much fun, telling each story like a pro. He slowly built the suspense, his voice slow and cautious, then suddenly the gunman would jump out from behind a wall and open fire. He loved how the omega's eyes remained wide and his fists clenched the comforter with every twist and turn of the narrative.

"So they throw the shithead in the car, kicking and screaming, and Nakamura says to his partner, 'We got him, Hiroya'." Katsuki imitated the actor's gruff voice. "And Hiroya says, 'I know…but he'll never leave my mind… I can't forget what I've seen, Nakamura. His bloodstained hands… that sadistic grin… even when I close my eyes, it's still there…' and then Nakamura puts his hand on the cadet's shoulder and looks him in the eye with this fatherly expression and he just says, 'Kid, you learn to live outside your own head'."

Midoriya bit his bottom lip, tears sitting on his eyelashes. "Nakamura can't forget either, can he?" he asked. "They both have to live with that so that other people never have to… that's so sad."

"Hey, it's just a show." Katsuki reminded him.

The boy nodded, smiling a little. "Another?"

The alpha looked over his shoulder at the clock on the stove. "No way, it's almost eleven."

"Please." He tried. It had worked last time.

"I know you just sat on your ass all day but I had to work all day and I'm tired as shit." He said. "We'll watch the show another time."

"I like it when you tell me the stories better." He insisted. "I already have an image of the characters in my head, I don't want the show to ruin that. Besides, I like how you tell them."

Katsuki blushed. He didn't usually care about compliments from omegas, they just annoyed him. His omega coworkers would comment about his build, saying things like 'I don't understand why you don't have a mate already with a body like that' and 'You should be in textbooks as a perfect alpha specimen'. He always blew off those comment with something like, 'I'm just setting an example for my clients'. He knew they just wanted to mate and he didn't care for that kind of attention. Midoriya's compliments were different. He didn't mention his body or his status as an alpha, he focused on something personal. Why did that make his heart race?

"Shut up, Fuck'n idiot." He responded half-heartedly as he got up and left for his room. Neither of the men could get to sleep. Midoriya laid awake, his mind full of adventure and excitement from the stories while Katsuki beat his head against a pillow, trying not to get flustered about some dumb omega.

When Katsuki woke up in the morning, there was warm rice and grilled tilapia already waiting. Midoriya was lazily leaning against the counter in just a shirt and boxers, eating his own breakfast contently.

"Where are your pants?" Katsuki asked, shocked and annoyed.

"I got hot during the night." He explained innocently.

"Go put them back on, I don't run a brothel. What if my neighbors saw? What would they think?"

"I don't think this is that unusual, Katsuki." He cocked his head, unsure of why the alpha was making such a fuss.

"I hope it's not too cold out tonight when you're sleeping on the street." He threatened.

The omega quickly put down his bowl and dug his pants out of the comforter nest before slipping them on. 'What's his problem?' he wondered. 'I mean, I know I'm an omega and I should be careful about what I show off in front of alphas but Katsuki doesn't think about me that way. After all, he's married to that little vacuum.'

Katsuki served himself breakfast. "I'll take you down the street on my way to work and pick you up when I get home in a few hours, okay? I already texted Todoroki so he knows you're coming."

"Katsuki…" Midoriya was nervous again. He didn't want to be with an unfamiliar alpha.

"Just act how you normally act and he won't be interested." He teased.

'He was so sweet last night… was I just imagining that?' The omega wondered. "Let me stay here." He requested.

Katsuki sighed and held up a cellphone. Midoriya watched curiously. "Here, it's my old one. My new number is programmed into it."

"Are you… letting me use it?" He approached the alpha, taking the little device into his hands.

"Only if that guy starts weirding you out or something. Don't walk home alone, do you hear me?"

He nodded, looking the phone over and finding the on button. "You said there's a beta there?"

"Yeah."

"And you won't be gone long?" He asked, meeting the alpha's ruby eyes.

"That's right."

He took a deep breath and nodded, trusting the alpha because he had no other option. They finished breakfast then got into his car. The ride down the street was only a minute long. Katsuki waited in the car and watched at the omega approached the front door.

Midoriya knocked, nervous. He heard footsteps on the other side of the door before it opened to reveal a rather tall, red-and-white-haired man who was casually dressed in a t-shirt and sweatpants. He looked down at the omega then at the black Ferrari that waited in front of his house. He looked back to the omega. He knew this boy, this was Izuku Midoriya, only son of the Midoriya banking family. But why was he Katsuki's house guest?

Todoroki gave his neighbor a little nod before smiling politely at the omega. "Midoriya, right? It's nice to see you again, come on in."

The boy was confused but obeyed, stepping into the house. "Have we met before?" He asked, the door closing behind him and the Ferrari driving away.

"You don't remember me? I'm Shouto Todoroki."

"Oh… no, sorry. You see, I really don't remember much of anything. Someone left me at Katsuki's house the other day. According to him, I was bleeding from the back of the head. I guess that's why I can't really remember anything." He explained with an awkward smile.

"Someone… left you?" The alpha echoed.

"Yeah… He said I was in a garbage bag on his porch but I don't know if I really believe him about that, I think he's just teasing me. Anyways, that's kind of spooky, right? I'm not sure who did that or why but Katsuki has been really nice to me. He lets me sleep on his couch and eat anything I want and today, he's going to teach me self-defense."

Gears started turning in Todoroki's head as he began to piece together the story. This was a mistake. This was a horrible mistake. He should never have agreed to have Izuku here but how could he have known? The blonde had only told him that he needed some charity work for an uneducated omega kid. Firstly, Izuku was not a kid nor was he at all uneducated.

'Who would kidnap Izuku and why? He hasn't done anything wrong.' Shouto thought. 'Is this… is this because of that deal? Oh no… This is my fault. Someone hurt him because of me and my stupid family. Fuck! Whoever did this probably meant to leave him on my doorstep but got mixed up. Fuck, fuck, fuck! How do I fix this? I can't just-'

"Mr. Todoroki?" The omega asked, breaking the other's train of thought. "I'm sorry but… how do we know each other?"

The man's heart raced in panic. He didn't have time to decide what to say, how to phrase the truth, or if he could even tell the truth so he quickly lied. "A-at a party is all. Don't worry, even if you hadn't gotten hurt, you'd probably still not remember me."

He considered this new information. "Was anyone with me? Like a family member or a friend?"

"No, nope. You came alone."

"I didn't say anything about where I'm from or my family?"

The other shook his head.

"Did I at least tell you my first name?" It had been bothering Midoriya that he couldn't remember it.

"No. Just Midoriya." The alpha insisted.

"Huh… Is that the kind of person I am? I go to the kinds of parties where people don't use first names?"

"No, no, no. It wasn't a club or anything. It was a nice party. It was for the opening of a new restaurant downtown." Todoroki felt himself sinking deeper and deeper into this lie but he didn't know how to stop. He had been completely blind sighted.

"Why was I down there? Do I work in the restaurant industry or something?"

"Y-you didn't say anything about that."

"What did I say?"

"I don't really remember, Midoriya. We just briefly met."

The omega sighed in frustration and disappointment. He still new nothing about himself. "I'm sorry for all the questions… I just feel kind of lost right now. Anyways, please don't worry about it. Like I said, Katsuki is treating me really well."

"That's good to hear. He's kind of a hot head so I'm hear to hear that he's been able to dial it down and act with decency."

Midoriya chuckled. "He's not as bad as you might think~ After all, he's trying to help me get an education. I know you're a preschool teacher so you might not be able to teach me a lot but I'm not exactly sure how much schooling I've had so might as well start at the bottom."

Todoroki furrowed his brow in annoyance. "Did he tell you that I'm a preschool teacher?" he asked.

"Huh? You're not?" Midoriya was intimidated by the alpha's scowl.

"I teach twelfth grade geometry, not that he would know the difference."

"Oh… well, maybe you can still help me."

'You're already smart,' he thought. 'You have a bachelor's degree in Russian literature and you're fluent in English.' He nodded and smiled. "Sure. Let's look at some basic computations and see where to go from there."

The optimistic omega agreed, sitting down at Todoroki's table with a blank notebook that Katsuki had given him, telling him not to come home without at least three pages front and back of notes. Midoriya kind of felt like he was being treated like a child but still, he knew Katsuki's heart was in the right place.

Todoroki filled up the first page in his notebook with single digit addition and subtraction then double and triple digit. Midoriya was a little slow at first but it came back to him pretty easily. The next page was multiplication and division. Again, he was slow for the first few then easily remembered the skill. They practiced conversions, fractions, and equations with decimals and Midoriya slowly remembered it all. "There, you know everything about math that you need to know." Todoroki announced.

The boy was gleaming with pride and accomplishment. "I'm pretty smart after all!" he said, looking at the marked-up pages in his notebook. "I could probably go to a university, right? I could learn a lot of stuff and get a good job." Midoriya was finally imagining a future that wasn't completely reliant of the charity and protection of a red-eyed alpha.

"Definitely. What do you want to go to school for?"

"Probably criminal justice or forensics so I can be a cool police detective." His excitement drenched his voice.

'He's different from the old Izuku… I guess he's pretty influenced by Katsuki. Still, he's as cute and excitable as before.' Todoroki considered. He had remembered thinking Izuku was kind of attractive before too. Although he was gaunt and skinny now, when he gained some wait he'd be just as pretty as he was back then. "That sounds fun. Since you worked so hard, let's have a lunch break then I'll let you have a go at some of my algebra workbooks. How about that?"

Midoriya nodded happily. "Yes, please!" 'He's much friendlier that Katsuki," the boy thought. "He hasn't called be stupid or cursed at me or threatened to throw me out. They're only a few houses away but it's like they're from totally different planets.'

Todoroki asked his sister to help him with lunch, informing her in private that Izuku Midoriya was here and that, for a lot of complicated reasons, she had to pretend like she didn't know him. She didn't understand but trusted her brother. She made soup while he put together sandwiches. Like most alphas, Shouto didn't really bother to learn to cook. There was always an omega or beta around to help with the task.

They all ate together. Midoriya excitedly told Fuyumi about a detective story he'd heard from Katsuki and she listened politely. After lunch, Midoriya earnestly worked in the math book for two hours before receiving a text from Katsuki that said he would be there in fifteen minutes. Midoriya closed the activity book and held it out to Todoroki but the man shook his head.

"It's for you, we'll keep working on it together." He said, smiling softly.

Midoriya felt his heart skip a beat. 'He's so nice…' he thought. He wasn't bad looking either. The omega's cheeks felt a twinge warm. "Oh, okay. Thank you."

"No problem. It's nice to have some company on the weekends. Maybe sometime we can get coffee just to have a change of scenery. My place is kind of boring."

Midoriya felt tingles in his fingertips at that suggestion. He smiled, diverting his gaze due to being a little flustered. "I don't think Katsuki wants me leaving the neighborhood without him."

"Excuse me for asking so bluntly but are you his omega now?" Todoroki wondered.

"Huh!? No!" That suggestion made his whole face red. "No, we're not like that."

"Then it's not a problem for you to spend time with another alpha, right?"

Midoriya's face stayed red. "N-no… I guess not."

"Good. Then let's plan for tomorrow afternoon." He said.

'That soon?' the boy thought, shocked. "O-okay. Can you pick me up from Katsuki's house? I don't want to inconvenience him."

"Of course." That princely smile returned.

There were two honks of a car horn outside, making the omega jump just slightly. He reached out to grab his notebook from the table but the alpha was faster, picking it up and handing it to him slowly so that their fingertips grazed each other.

Midoriya locked eyes with the kind alpha for just a moment, feeling like he was living a scene from a cheezy movie. The horn sounded again, forcing him to break eye contact and rush out the door with a quick "thank you".

He got into the passenger seat of Katsuki's car. The alpha smelled like sweat. "You shouldn't honk at people, it's rude." Midoriya scolded lightly. The man began to drive.

"Sorry, left my red carpet at home." He fired back. "How'd it go with Half-n-Half?"

"Mr. Todoroki? He was very nice to me."

"Yeah, I know he's a tool, I didn't ask for a bio. I meant the tutoring."

"Good, look. I actually remember most of it." The omega opened his notebook and showed Katsuki the pages of equations.

The alpha reacted with a sincere smile, proud of the hard-working little omega. "All right! So you're a little smarty pants after all, huh?"

The greenette giggled as they pulled into the drive way. "Maybe I am."

"Dinner's your choice today, we'll order out." He said. For some reason, Katsuki's praise was so satisfying to Midoriya. He knew the alpha was never insincere so he was sure that he'd actually done good today. He couldn't stop smiling.

"Can we have pizza?" he asked.

"Pepperoni and sausage or no deal." Katsuki said, getting out of the car.

"And olives on half." Midoriya negotiated.

"Olives on half." He agreed.

The two men were comfortable with each other, like they'd already figured the other out. The situation was starting to feel less like a charity case and more like a friendship.


	3. Omega

"Is insulting me really necessary for this?" The omega asked, panting.

The smirking and powerful alpha loomed over him, pinning the smaller one to the ground. "If you don't want to be treated like this, then make me stop, Mouse." He growled, using a nickname that made Midoriya knit his eyebrows together in frustration.

The greenette wriggled but Katsuki was just stronger. "How is this even training!? Shouldn't I be kicking a pillow or doing pushups?"

"When's the last time you were attacked by a pillow?" The alpha asked. "Strength training comes later. What's the point of building your muscles if you can't get an alpha off of you? Even if you get strong, the alpha will probably still be stronger."

Midoriya clenched his teeth and kept fighting, trying to twist out of Katsuki's hold while still protecting his vulnerable throat. He knew that if the alpha bit that, he would win. His wrists were pinned down hard and his legs locked under Katsuki's so that he didn't have any use of his limbs. He breathed heavily, whining in pain.

"Is that really the best you can do? Grovel? Are you a person or a house pet?" Katsuki instigated, trying to get Midoriya worked up.

"Shut up!" The omega barked.

"Make me!" The alpha responded harshly. "Do you really think you have no control in this situation? Maybe you're just not trying hard enough."

"I am!" The littler one insisted.

"You are? Is this really your best effort? Well no wonder you ended up in a garbage bag with your head bashed in, you make it so easy to take advantage of you." He knew that wasn't Midoriya's fault but he needed to get a reaction out of the omega.

Tears prickled Midoriya's eyes. He hated this, he hated feeling weak, feeling vulnerable and helpless. He hated what happened to him. He growled and tried his hardest to push against the man on top of him. 'Just a little more…' Katsuki thought.

His voice became low and dangerous, teasing the omega without mercy. "What are you willing to give up for your weakness? You already gave up your memories, your family, your friends. Why stop now? Why not just let every alpha who crosses you take what they want? Your sanity? Your pride? Your body? If you're going to give up like this, then why are you still even holding onto those things?"

Finally, the omega stopped fighting, his limbs falling limp as his head slowly turned to the side, submissively showing off his throat. He was crying, his brows still pinched tightly in anger and pain.

As the alpha leaned in to nip the still omega's neck and claim victory, he was suddenly struck with blinding pain. Once his head was close but before his lips could touch the omega's skin, Midoriya threw his head up with unrestrained force, smacking his forehead against Katsuki's with a hard thump. In the moment of disorientation, he shook out of the alpha's hold and threw the aggressor off of him. He quickly wriggled to his feet despite the hot, dizzy, pain in his head and bolted away to the safety of the hallway.

Katsuki sat back on his haunches, hissing in pain and holding onto his forehead. That sneaky little omega had actually gotten him pretty good. He was impressed, he hadn't expected that from Midoriya. He thought the boy might just continue to writhe under him and cry but, as he hoped, the omega had managed to escape with just the very limited strength that he had.

He never pushed his other clients that hard, omegas were pretty quick to submit. When an alpha was on top of them like that, they usually considered it an unstoppable circumstance. They couldn't see a way out, they would just assume that they would never be stronger than an alpha. Katsuki knew Midoriya was different. He was motivated and he faced seemingly helpless situations with determination and confidence. He was clever and strong-willed. Even against the strongest alpha, that spunky attitude and quick mind could earn him victory.

Midoriya watched from the hallway as the alpha groaned in pain on the floor. As he calmed down, he didn't see the man as his enemy anymore but as his friend. He slowly approached. "Katsuki? Was I too rough?" He asked, kneeling at the alpha's side.

"No, you were good." He said honestly. "You did real good. In a circumstance like that, you should never hold back against an alpha. In fact, in real life, you'd probably want to kick the alpha in the groin after you got free to make sure they don't follow you but let's not go that far in training."

The omega smiled, pride welling in his chest. He'd fought off an alpha, a really fit and mean alpha. A new sense of power and independence filled him. Katsuki was right, he didn't have to just let alphas take whatever they wanted. What happened to him before would never happen again because he knew he could protect himself. He didn't have to give up his pride or his body, they were his.

He gently took the alpha's face into his hands, examining his red forehead. He smiled softly. "Sorry… I didn't mean to hurt you." He softly pressed his fingers to the man's hot forehead. His hands were soothingly cold. "I'll get some ice for your head."

Suddenly, Katsuki's whole face was red. It was embarrassing to be doted on by the little omega but at the same time, it felt good to be touched with such delicacy as if he were something precious. He pulled his face away, flustered. "There's an icepack in the freezer." He said.

The omega quickly retrieved it and followed the alpha to the couch before handing it to him. They sat together, both exhausted and in pain from the training. "Katsuki… you didn't take it easy on me, right?" Midoriya asked.

"No. I didn't hold back." He confirmed, making the omega even more proud of his accomplishment.

"That was kind of fun." He admitted.

Katsuki smirked. "You think beating me up is fun?"

"Only a little~" He joked. "I mean it was fun to win. I feel good."

Katsuki wouldn't say it out loud but he was proud of his cute house guest. He wanted to help him get stronger and learn to protect himself so he would be safe when he eventually left. He wanted the omega to get a good education, he wanted him to be treated well, he wanted the best for him. "Next time, we'll practice other situations. Grabbed from behind, pushed into a corner, that sort of thing." He said.

"Okay. Katsuki… thanks for this." He said.

The alpha nodded. "Sure."

"Not just the training, everything. You really didn't have to take me in or feed me or clothe me. Thank you."

"Easy now, no one likes an ass-kisser." He grumbled, rolling his eyes.

The omega giggled. "Why are you so mean?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Mouse. I guess I forgot that I'm a guest here in your house, eating your food and sleeping on your couch. If anyone needs to be nice here, it's definitely me." He said sarcastically.

"Is sarcasm your answer to everything?"

"Most things." He affirmed.

"No wonder you're mated to a vacuum instead of a person." The omega teased back.

"Haley isn't my mate, you fuck'n idiot."

"Then why did you name her?"

"Respect." He answered plainly. "She works hard and makes me happy."

"To me, it sounds like you're kind of lonely."

"Care to retract that statement?" He asked, a twinge of danger in his voice but it didn't scare Midoriya. He already knew that all of Katsuki's threats were empty.

"I'm just saying… you don't have pictures of family or anything and you live alone in this big house. Aren't you kind of lonely?"

"Being alone doesn't mean being lonely." He corrected. "I like to live like this."

"Well, if that's what makes you happy, then that's all there is to it, I guess."

"Exactly. Now get off my back." He grumbled. Up until now, he was certain that loneliness was synonymous with happiness for him but now, he had to question it. In just a few days, he'd grown pretty accustomed to having someone else around. He was getting used to turning around and being greeted by a smiling face. He was getting nervous that he might be working the omega into his life. 'Will things be weird when he leaves?' The man wondered. 'Will it suddenly feel quiet and desolate here?'

He didn't like this feeling of unsureness. He didn't like to think that the omega was actually changing him. He grabbed the remote and flicked on the TV for distraction. The news was on. The reporter sat behind a desk with a stern, serious, face. "War rages on in Turkey with the revolutionary forces moving into Syria as of yesterday morning." She announced. "As many of you will recall, the United Nations had previously stated that they would not be involved in a civil war but reports are being released now that the rebels have started practicing tributia. No word yet from the council of nations about whether this violation of human rights with persuade them to aid an anti-rebellion effort." Katsuki cringed, his intestines recoiling at such a horrible topic.

The omega looked to Katsuki curiously. "Katsuki? What's tributia?"

"It's… It's were a foreign power takes control of a community and forces the young people to become tributaries. The alphas become soldiers and the omegas become… comfort workers." He explained. Midoriya still didn't quite understand.

"What's a comfort worker?"

"They have to follow around the army and fulfil the sexual desires of the soldiers." He said bluntly, not knowing how to sugar-coat something like that. He watched as innocent curiosity drained from the omega's eyes and was replaced with horrible realization.

"T-turn it off." He requested in a shaky voice.

The alpha hastily obeyed, clicking a button to turn the screen black. He glanced to the trembling boy beside him.

"Midoriya…" He said, emitting comforting pheromones. "Hey, relax. That's so far away, that won't happen to you." He refused to even imagine the omega in that situation.

"I know… sorry… It's just… it's scary to think about…" He said.

"Of course… so just don't. No one can handle that burden, just don't think about it."

"I don't know how… I keep thinking about it…"

Katsuki lost restraint, his instincts driving him to comfort the omega without hesitation. He gently cupped one of the boy's cheeks in his warm palm, causing him to catch his breath and look up into those ruby eyes. "It's okay." The alpha assured, his voice smooth and low. "I'm here, you're safe with me. No one is going to touch you or even look at you wrong. Do you trust me?"

The omega nodded, never breaking eye contact. How was it possible that Todoroki was so kind and handsome and interested in him but still, this alpha was the one who made the omega's heart race and his stomach churn? It didn't make sense. 'It's not affection,' Midoriya thought, completely distracted from his previous thoughts. 'It's just admiration… He's helped me like a big brother or close friend, that's what this feeling is.'

Katsuki lowered his hand from the boy's cheek and held it out, palm up. "Give me your arm." He commanded.

The boy complied. The alpha began to scent him, rubbing their forearms together to exchange scents with each other. This activity was meant to reaffirm relationships and provide comfort. Siblings and close friends did it often. Midoriya was surprised by how well it worked. His eyelids felt heavy, his whole body relaxing at the touch. This felt safe.

Katsuki repeated the same process to Midoriya's other arm and watched his stress melt away. The boy leaned back into his comforter nest, breathing slowly. This felt right to Katsuki. Taking care of an omega, calming him down, scenting him. There was a primal satisfaction in this.

"Do you have to work tomorrow?" The omega asked.

"No, I always have Sunday off." He said.

"Can you show me how to search on the computer?"

"For what?"

"For… myself. I know there are probably a lot of Midoriyas in the world but I could find just one that looks like me, maybe I could find my family…"

"Sure, we can do that." The alpha wore a small smile. He liked taking care of the omega, he wanted to help him. "Let's go to the public library instead, then. They'll have better civilian records."

"Okay." Midoriya smiled. "In that case, can you text Todoroki for me and ask him what time he's going to pick me up?"

"What? You're hanging out with half-n-half tomorrow?" Katsuki asked.

"Yeah, we're going to study more." The omega explained.

"He doesn't have to pick you up, I'll drop you off on our way back from the library."

"We're not studying at his house, he wants to get coffee."

"He what?" Katsuki's smile fell as a small flame ignited inside of him. Why was Midoriya going to coffee with that guy? That didn't sound like just tutoring. Was something else going on? He didn't like it.

"He asked me to get coffee with him." The omega clarified, blushing lightly.

'Why is he blushing?' Katsuki wondered, the flame growing larger. "You- You can't leave the neighborhood." He argued, unsure of why this was bothering him so much.

"Why not?" Midoriya narrowed his eyebrows.

"Because I say so." The alpha retorted, a growl underlying his voice. He knew he was being stupid.

"Katsuki… it's not fair for you to tell me where I can and can't go outside your house." The boy answered, tension building in his tone too.

"You're really letting another alpha take you for coffee? What kind of impression do you think that'll give him?"

"Should I be worried about that? After all, I'm a single omega. Why would I be worried that alphas might think I'm available?"

Katsuki's face was red with emotion. "You're right, why should I care if you walk around town all day, a horny pack of alphas following at your feet, sniffing you like a piece of meat?"

"Going to coffee with one alpha doesn't mean I become the town breeder." The omega said, growling. "I can take care of myself, Katsuki."

"Really?" The alpha laughed. "Is that what this is!? I've never seen independence that looks like sleeping on someone else's couch and eating their food."

"Why do you bring that up so often!?" The omega was red-faced too. "Do you really hate having me here that much? Am I really such a burden?" Tears prickled the corners of his eyes. "I know how vulnerable and weak I am right now, I know that! But I won't always be like this!"

"Oh, I forgot. You've got big plans, right? You're going to go looking for a mate, right? I hope that serves you well, Mouse. Maybe you'll like being a lap dog like every other mated omega in the world. I just can't believe that, right once you're starting to get your feet under yourself, you'd choose to sabotage yourself like this. You were going to go to school and get a job, right? You were going to be strong and independent, right? What happened to that?"

"I'm still doing all of that, you dick!" He barked. "This is the twenty-first century! Omegas can be mated and have their own lives."

"Is that what you think? Show me one alpha that doesn't think they own their omega. Oh, but Half-n-Half is a prince, right? He's different from the others, he's going to treat you like an equal, yeah? He's no different, Idiot! His dad picks up and throws away omegas after they've had a few kids. What kind of kids do you think come out of a family like that? That beta sister of his doesn't leave the house without an escort and his omega brothers are at a traditional school in Portugal, being trained to become good omegas so their dad can marry them off to powerful families. Do you really think Todoroki is going to be your new age knight? He's suddenly doing to break hundreds of years of cultural norms because you're so strong-willed and independent?"

Midoriya's heart ached. Why was Katsuki being so merciless? So cruel? Why did he want to hurt him so badly? Tears rolled down the omega's face. "Why do you even care, Jack ass!?" He demanded to know. "Why can't you just mind your own business!?"

Ruby red eyes burned with such intensity that it scared the omega. "Because you deserve better!" He barked, shocking Midoriya. "You're smarter than other omegas, stronger than others, better than the others… but if you want to follow the same path as the others, then don't let me stand in your way. But don't come crying to me when you're pregnant with you're seventh pup and you find yourself wishing things had gone differently." With that, he got up and left, slamming his bedroom door.

He couldn't understand why Midoriya wanted to date when he had so much on the line. If he mated, it would all be gone. He'd stay reliant on an alpha forever. He'd remain vulnerable and weak forever. Midoriya was better than that… so why didn't he realize it?

Out in the living room, the greenette sat on the couch in confusion and shock. He really couldn't tell if the alpha was a cruel and hateful villain or a secret hero. His mood swings were unreadable. 'He was being so awful…' he considered. 'I hate him… but what he said at the end… why do I want to forgive him? Why does he care so much about me? Why does he care whether I get an education or not? Does he expect better from me than I expect from myself? Why? Why!? I'm not that special so why does he see all this potential in me? Uuugh! He's so… frustrating! And confusing! And… nice… but also an asshole! Why can't I understand him at all!?' The omega curled up into his comforter bed and mulled over these questions for a while.

Katsuki remained angry for a good hour or two, boxing an imaginary opponent to get some energy out. He punched will full force into the air, his fists meeting no resistance. 'Stop fuck'n giving a shit!' He told himself. 'Who cares!? Who fuck'n cares if he mates and becomes a pet? Let him! If he wants to, let him! He's just an omega like every other stupid, whiny, weak, omega out there!' The alpha sat down in a chair, panting. 'What a fuck'n waste…' He hated imagining the spunky omega becoming the property of some jackass alpha, used as a baby machine and kept inside, away from the world. Katsuki thought back to a documentary he had seen about modern fundamentalist groups that actually put collars and leashes on their omegas. It made his stomach sick. 'Not Midoriya… that shouldn't happen to him… that kid's too good for all that shit.'

He remembered earlier in the car when the cute boy had proudly shown off his math work and bragged about being smart. The memory filled Katsuki's chest with warmth. He pulled out his phone and opened his texting app, each letter he typed accompanied by a soft clink.

Bakugo: Are you taking Midoriya out for coffee tomorrow?

Todoroki: Yes.

Bakugo: What do you want with him?

Todoroki: I'm tutoring him.

Bakugo: Don't play stupid, asshole. Why not just tutor him at your house? He may be cute and seem available but just don't think about it. He's with you for tutoring, nothing else.

Todoroki: I don't think it's right for you to be speaking for him.

Bakugo: If you try to put moves on him, I swear to God I'll break your fingers.

Todoroki: Why are you so defensive? He told me himself that he's not your omega.

Bakugo: You're damn right. He's no one's omega and it better stay that way. What time are you picking him up for tutoring and only tutoring?

Todoroki: 11:00 AM

Bakugo: Fine. Keep your hands off him. If he tells me that you've been bothering him, I'll make that white side of your head match the red one.

Katsuki set down his phone before going out to the living room to check on the omega. The idea of apologizing was vaguely sitting in the back of his mind but he found the boy already asleep, his cheeks and nose red from crying. His anger melted away and was replaced with guilt. He'd been too mean, he knew that… because it wasn't just about the wasted potential. There was something else there that made him upset. He couldn't admit it, not even to himself, but it made him feel dismissed to hear that Midoriya was going on a date with another alpha.

He quietly turned out the lights in the house before setting out a few pain killers, a glass of water, and a note on the coffee table by the couch. He went to bed in his own room and left for the gym in the morning before the omega woke up. When those glimmering green eyes did open again, they immediately squinted in pain. All the crying last night had given him a headache.

He slowly sat up and noticed the pills and water already ready for him. He sniffed the pills cautiously before throwing them to the back of his throat and taking a big gulp of water. Next, he picked up the note. It read:

 _Mouse,_

 _Sorry about earlier. Todoroki will be here at 11:00. If he's a dick to you, call me._

Midoriya read the note with a little smile on his face, that warm feeling returning to his chest. 'He's really not so bad…' he thought. In his heart, he'd already forgiven the alpha.

The omega didn't have any clothes and the ruby-eyed alpha had forgotten to leave him a new outfit so he remained in yesterday's clothes. He cooked breakfast, ate slowly, and read a psychology textbook until there was a knock on the door. He opened it to reveal the tall alpha. "Hey, Midoriya," The man greeted. His voice was smooth and soft unlike Katsuki's gravely, harsh, voice. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah." The boy responded with a happy smile, following the man to his car. Even the two alphas' cars were opposites. As opposed to Katsuki's black Ferrari, Todoroki drove a white Prius. As Midoriya got in the car, he could practically hear the blonde making some sort of snarky joke like, 'No wonder the engine's so big, it takes a lot of little hamsters on wheels to power this over-rated, tree-hugger, excuse for a car.' The omega giggled to himself.

"What's so funny?" Todoroki wondered as they started driving.

"Huh? Oh, my hair just tickled my neck, that's all." He lied.

The man glanced at him. "It is a bit long. You should get it trimmed up. Those clothes don't fit you either. I know Katsuki took you in but he's really only doing the bare minimum."

"He's already given me a lot." The boy defended.

"I know but that's not really how an alpha should act. The bare minimum isn't our standard when it comes to taking care of omegas. Here, I'll pick up the slack. Let's go get some clothes that actually fit and a decent haircut, alright?"

Midoriya didn't have to answer because it wasn't really a question, it was a statement. This is how alphas were, natural leaders. Decision makers, care takers. Why didn't Katsuki act that way? Sure, he had a certain aura of dominance but he never told Midoriya to do anything or made decisions for him.

They went to a little outlet mall. Todoroki was so nice the whole time, smiling and talking to the omega nicely. He held open doors and walked on the outer edge of the sidewalk when they were together. When the store clerk chose clothes for Midoriya and had him try them on, the alpha waited patiently. He gave his feedback on every piece, naturally taking control of the situation as if Midoriya was a little doll.

The clerk rung them up at the end, taking Todoroki's debit card with a smile. "Your omega is so cute. He'll look great in these." She said as if Midoriya wasn't standing right there.

"Thank you." The alpha responded, taking the bags from her. As they walked out of the store and back to the car, the uncomfortable omega spoke up.

"Mr. Todoroki… why didn't you correct her when she called me your omega?" He wondered. This was a perfect date and Todoroki was the perfect alpha… so why was Midoriya so uneasy?

"Well, you're not my omega in _that_ way but when you're out with me, you're considered mine because you're under my care. Why? Is that a problem?" He asked.

"Hm? No… It just caught me off guard." The boy answered. Actually, he knew it shouldn't bother him at all but it did. He didn't understand why being in the presence of an alpha granted that alpha temporary ownership of him. 'This is normal…' He told himself. 'This is how alphas and omegas interact, this is perfectly normal. Todoroki is being a perfect gentleman, you should be flattered.'

They went to the barber and Midoriya sat through a haircut like a barbie doll, not even having to open his mouth. The alpha took care of everything, consulting the hairdresser about which style would be best on the omega. Once it was decided, it was done, no permission needed. Todoroki often asked questions that seemed like he was asking permission but actually, agreement was just assumed such as, "Don't you think that would suit your face well?". All Midoriya had to do was smile.

Finally, they headed to their original destination, the café. Todoroki had intended to tell the truth today and set the record straight about Midoriya's past but now, he couldn't bring himself to talk about that. The first time he met the omega, he had wondered if he had a chance with the cute boy. He was so pretty and energetic.

'Things are so good already…' he thought as they drove. 'He's so cute and we're so compatible. If I told him the truth now… maybe I should just wait a while. I can take him out a few more times and build our relationship first. When he finds out my family is the cause of this, he'll be pretty upset but if I make him mine first, he'll stay with me and trust me. He'll be more understanding. Besides, he's probably still in danger so staying under the radar until things cool down is safest. It would be better for everyone if I just waited a while.' He decided, pulling up at the café and opening Midoriya's car door for him.

He escorted the omega inside, pulling out his chair when they arrived at the table. This seemed a lot more serious than Midoriya was led to believe. He thought is was going to be a tutoring session with just a touch of flirting but it was turning out to be a full-fledged date. The omega was angry at himself for not loving it. He spoke first, his face decorated with a polite smile. "I think the next chapter in the workbook covers Pythagorean's Theorem and that sounds kind of familiar to me but I need a refresher." He said, putting his workbook on the table.

"That? Oh, don't worry about it. Students are forced to learn it in high school but you don't need it in real life unless you're an architect or something like that."

"Really? Oh… well, what should I work on next, then?" The boy asked, thumbing through the book.

"Well, there's some practice with conversions in there and you might even look at area of a circle but honestly, you already know the basic concepts that you'll actually use in your everyday life." The man explained.

"What's my everyday life?" He asked. It seemed like the alpha already knew.

"That's up to you, of course. There's a whole selection of nice, stable, jobs to choose from and then someday, God willing, you'll find a mate and you'll be able to move into family life."

"Oh… yeah." He agreed. 'Of course. That's the goal, that's always been the goal' he reminded himself. "What's your family like?" He asked.

Shouto had to be careful about what he said. "Normal, I suppose. I have one sister, a beta, and two omega brothers."

"What do your parents do?"

"Well… My dad is in general business and my mom is an omega."

That last statement rubbed Midoriya the wrong way. 'Katsuki was right… being an omega implies being a house pet for the rest of your life. A baby machine for an alpha.' The greenette knit his eyebrows together and spoke up out of frustration. "I've been thinking about it recently and… I think mating maybe just isn't for me."

"Midoriya, don't think that way, mating is definitely an option for you." He said, assuming that the omega was putting himself down rather than trying to express a desire for independence. "What's bothering you? Your body? I promise, you'll gain some weight and everything will be fine."

"What's wrong with my body?" His voice carried a tone of irritation now. He knew he was skinny but he remembered Katsuki telling him that it wasn't important, that his personality mattered just as much.

Todoroki's hand gently covered Midoriya's, making the boy's heart speed up. "Relax, Midoriya. My point is that nothing's wrong with it. Once you gain some weight, you shouldn't have any problem at all with… y'know."

"Carrying a baby?" The omega said, filling in the unsaid.

"Exactly. So don't worry about that. I know it'll be okay."

The omega forced a pleasant, insincere, smile. He was uncomfortable and he hated that he was uncomfortable. This was supposed to be normal and happy. Other omegas swooned and blushed, happy to go along with a date like this. So why did Midoriya feel wrong? "Yeah, thanks…" He agreed, wishing his heart could just smile and go along with it like his face did. "Are your siblings mated?" He asked.

"No, none of them yet." The man answered. "My dad is kind of picky about who we associate ourselves with because of family name and all so they're only introduced to a few alphas from wealthy or strategic families."

"Your family name? Are you guys an important family?"

Todoroki knew he'd said too much. He didn't want the boy to be curious yet, he didn't want him to find out everything on his own. "No, it's nothing like that. My dad is just kind of traditional is all." He said.

"I'm not really sure what kind of person my dad is…" The omega said. "But Katsuki is taking me to the library today and he's going to show me how to search for information. I'm hoping I can find something about my family. After all, I just need to find one link, right?"

Todoroki's stomach tightened and knotted. 'If he finds out on his own, he'll hate me…' he thought. 'Of course, even I would hate me. I've been lying to him all this time. And besides, why would he want to associate with my family ever again? If I could just buy more time, I would have a chance to tell him the truth and keep him mine.' He cleared his throat. "You want to spend a Sunday in the library? Let's keep hanging out instead. My school has a lot of records on hand, probably a better collection than the local library. I'll see what I can find tomorrow when I go back to school." He offered.

Because of his family, Todoroki never got to meet anyone nice like Midoriya. Relationships were arranged for political or monetary gain. When he had first met Midoriya at his cousin's wedding, they had chatted in the back of the dance hall for hours. Midoriya was so nice. He was optimistic and sweet and accepting. When Todoroki had asked him out back then, he was rejected because the omega was planning to go back to college and get his master's degree. He didn't want a distraction. This was Todoroki's chance to change history. He could make things different this time, he could make things work.

"Would you really do that for me?" The omega asked, easily manipulated. "Thank you! I guess I should have asked someone like you for help from the beginning. You're so smart."

Todoroki watched the innocent omega smile with guilt in his heart. What he was doing wasn't right, he knew that, but he couldn't give up a second chance with the omega. Izuku was probably the best omega he'd find that his father would actually approve of. "It's no problem at all. Now, if you don't have plans, we can carry this out a little longer, right?"

"We'll, I should probably get home soon." The boy replied. "Today is Katsuki's only day off."

"If you don't have to go to the library anymore, then what do you need him for?"

"I mean… I live with him."

"Midoriya… be honest with me. What kind of a relationship do you have with that man?"

The boy blushed. "We're friends." He explained.

"If that's all, then why not move into my place? We have an extra room."

That suggestion made Midoriya really uncomfortable. 'Wasn't this just supposed to be a tutoring session? This is just my second time meeting Mr. Todoroki. This is too much…' He thought. "Oh, you do? Well… I- I don't want to impose. I'm fine."

"If I'm being honest, I don't like the idea of you living with another alpha. Besides, he's not really taking care of you how an alpha should. Didn't you say that you sleep on his couch? So why not just come to my place for a while? I'll be good to you. You can have your own bed and my sister is there to keep you company."

Midoriya didn't like imagining leaving Katsuki. The man was already so lonely, who would keep him company? Would he just watch that crime show alone? Just him and that little vacuum? The boy's heart ached thinking about that. "I'm really not lonely there and the couch is actually really comfortable. Thank you for being so considerate, Mr. Todoroki, but I'm truly fine." Midoriya said, pulling the phone out of his pocket. He wanted to go home now, he didn't like this anymore. "Oh! Speaking of which, Katsuki texted me. He needs help cleaning the house." He lied with a polite smile. "I guess I should get going."

"Midoriya… did I make you uncomfortable?" Todoroki asked. 'He wants to leave. No… Shit! I'm messing this up again. Why the hell is he so attached to Bakugo-san?'

"No, this was nice. Thank you for everything… you've been really nice to me."

"In that case… let's do this again. I had a good time too, I want to keep seeing you."

"Oh… yeah. Yeah, sure." Midoriya nodded, smiling insincerely. 'Why am I agreeing to this? I mean… why wouldn't I? This was a perfect date. He was perfect. This is exactly what this is supposed to be like. This is a perfect relationship… so why don't I like it? I'm just being too hasty, I'm being a coward. I just need to tough it out, right?'

"Great, so next time, let's go somewhere fun. How about we walk around the park?"

"Sure, that sounds fun." Midoriya stood up, his heart racing. He wanted to go back home. He went to pick up his bags from the outlet mall but the alpha got them first, wearing his charming smile.

"I'll carry them for you."

"I-I was just going to step outside to call Katsuki." The omega explained.

"I'll wait with you." Todoroki said. The smaller man nodded and together they stood outside. Midoriya made the call, telling the alpha where he was so he could be picked up. Katsuki knew something was wrong. Otherwise, the omega wouldn't have called. He would have just had Todoroki bring him back to the house. The red-eyed alpha drove fast.

Midoriya stood in uncomfortable silence alongside the tall alpha, awaiting his ride. Todoroki was fairly oblivious to how anxious the boy was, he thought he was just endearingly shy. 'He's so cute,' the man thought.

When the black Ferrari pulled up against the sidewalk, the omega felt relief and safety wash over him. 'Home. Time to go home' he thought. He turned to the tall alpha one last time just to smile and say, "Thanks again for today."

What happened next was unexpected. Midoriya went to take the bags but found himself being kissed on the lips. He stood still, his eyes open and lips unmoving. His brain didn't compute how this was happening. It wasn't like he'd been embraced or made deep eye contact with the alpha, it just happened out of the blue. 'Is this… is this normal? I mean… I kind of was a date so…' He wondered as the warm lips pulled back.

The confused omega only had a moment to look into the brown and blue eyes in front of him before the sound of a car door slamming drove his attention away to the blonde approaching them with an aura of aggression. Midoriya thought he'd be glad to see Katsuki but his relief was now mixed with fear. Katsuki was mad and releasing alpha pheromones, a scent that always preceded fights. The omega felt an arm protectively hook around his waist and looked up to see Todoroki making this clear gesture of ownership. Was he Todoroki's omega now? How did that happen? A primal desire in Midoriya's core wanted to break out of the hold but the whole situation was so nerve-wracking and surprising that he couldn't move. All he could do was look with big, doe, eyes as the quickly approaching alpha and hope it would all resolve peacefully.


	4. Gravity

"Get your arm off of him before I break it." The blonde growled.

The taller omega furrowed his brows but remained much more composed than his aggressor. "Bakugo, I know that you and Midoriya are friends but don't you think you're interfering a little too much here?" He responded. "It's not right to stick your nose in a couple's business."

"A couple!? Ha!" He scoffed. "You are one naive little fuck, aren't you? If this is what a couple looks like, then Stockholm Syndrome must just be another word for a happy marriage. Does he actually look happy to you? Look, his toes are pointed inwards and his hips are tucked. Does that look like relaxed posture to you?"

Midoriya was amazed by how well the red-eyed alpha had read the silent hints that Todoroki had been blind to all day. The taller man looked down at the omega in his grip, surprised by Katsuki's accusation. "Maybe he's so uncomfortable because of how you're acting. Have you considered that? You're being far too aggressive."

"Maybe I'm aggressive because some random alpha has his arm around the omega I'm supposed to keep an eye on. Let's see if I'm justified. Go on, ask him if he's your omega." He challenged.

"I really don't feel right about releasing Midoriya into the care of such a violent and temperamental alpha." The other growled in response.

"Isn't that funny? Because you don't have to release him to anyone, he can just go. Seriously, your entitlement just blows my mind."

"Come on, Midoriya, let's go." Todoroki turned, tugging on the omega as a signal to come with him. Katsuki finally stepped it, roughly removing Todoroki's arm from the omega with a swift twist of the wrist. Shouto arched his back in discomfort.

"You've been dragging him around like that all day, haven't you? That's where those bags and haircut are from, aren't they? I'm fuck'n tired of your shit." He released Todoroki who was now emitting the same aggressive pheromones.

"If you had the decency to take care of an omega how you should, I wouldn't have had to 'drag' him around town all day. Those shoes were a size and a half too big for him and his clothes hadn't been washed in days. I won't apologize. I just treated him how you should have." He stepped closer to his opponent, showing off their height difference. It didn't intimidate Katsuki.

Katsuki knew he was slacking, he knew it was unfair of him to provide only oversized clothes to the boy and he knew he needed to get better about giving him new clothes every day. The alpha never had anyone around much less a dependent omega and he was still figuring out how to take care of someone else. "God, your voice is so annoying! Don't you ever shut up? I probably treat him better than you do given that he doesn't buckle his knees around me."

Todoroki went to shove Katsuki but the greenette quickly placed himself between the two alphas so as a result, the taller man just ended up pushing Midoriya into Katsuki. The surprised, red-eyed, man instinctually caught the omega, holding his arms securely to make sure he wouldn't fall. Todoroki immediately realized what had happened and knew that he had fucked everything up. He literally pushed his prospective omega into his competition's arms. "Shi-! M-Midoriya, I'm so sorry." He sputtered.

Midoriya had gotten between the two because he didn't want to sit by anymore, he couldn't just passively allow alphas to take charge of his life. Besides, when he saw Todoroki preparing to get physical with Katsuki, his instincts gave him the final push to stop it. He knew full well that he'd receive Todoroki's aggression by interfering but he didn't really mind. He found himself in Katsuki's arms and rather unharmed. "It's okay." He said softly, looking to the brown-and-blue eyed alpha. He could read the regret and fear on his face. It was okay, Midoriya didn't hold anything against him. He felt braver having Katsuki at his side, it was easier to speak his mind. "Mr. Todoroki… thank you for today. I appreciate what you did for me. That being said… calling what we have a romantic relationship is going a bit too fast for me. Let's be friends for a while, okay?"

"Ah… yeah… sorry…" The man mumbled in response, his mind still whirring. 'I screwed up… I screwed up so hard…' he thought. 'Why is he so close with Bakugo? That guy's the worst. He's mean and thoughtless and he's a shit alpha… so how did he become the favorite? I don't want to lose… I don't want to walk away but can I really come back from this?'

Next, Midoriya's attention was given to the blonde. The alpha was still holding him out of instinct but Midoriya was okay with it. It felt safe. "Katsuki, relax." He said, keeping his tone calm. "Let's just go home, okay? You're tired and hungry, you'll calm down after some cold pizza and crime shows." He watched as those red eyes lost intensity and became more docile in accordance with his words.

Todoroki watched the two, the pain of rejection making itself at home in his heart. 'Why?' He wondered. 'Why him? What does he have that I don't? Are they doing physical stuff at home? Is that why?'

Midoriya mumbled a little goodbye to Todoroki before going with Katsuki to his car. Todoroki was left with a long, cold, dangerous glare from the other alpha. He knew he'd gotten off easy because of Midoriya's interference. If the omega hadn't stepped in, he would have ended up fighting Katsuki and almost certainly losing. The other alpha was well built and had combat training. 'Is that what it's about? Katsuki is stronger than me? Is that why Midoriya likes him better?' He truly didn't understand.

In the car, Katsuki began interrogating the omega. "Did he hurt you?" He asked with a stern tone.

"Of course not." Midoriya answered.

"And those clothes are from him?" The alpha glanced over at the greenette's new outfit.

"Yeah."

"I-…" He hesitated a moment before gaining the courage to speak his mind. "I… I'm sorry I didn't get you proper clothes." He said. "That's on me, my bad."

"Katsuki, you've already done so much for me. New clothes are useful but they really don't compare to what you've already given."

The alpha's face flushed. "Well, I bet that Candy Cane piece of shit offered more too. He asked you to stay with him too, didn't he?"

The omega was silent a moment before answering. "Yeah, he did. How did you know about that?"

"Relax, I'm not wire-tapping your phone or anything. It's obvious. You're a cute and single omega, of course he's going to ask you to move in and call it 'common courtesy'. You need to read more of my alpha psychology books before you fall for shit like that."

"You... cute?" The omega chirped. "You think I'm cute?"

Katsuki blushed. "Is that all you got out of that, you idiot? Of course, you're cute, don't get big-headed about it, okay? If anything, you should realize that it's a weakness. You're alpha-bait."

The omega smiled regardless. Todoroki had told him all day long that he was cute but it didn't really mean anything to Midoriya. It just seemed like words, empty flattery, obligatory kindness. When Katsuki said it, he knew it was sincere. He knew that this alpha's kindness was not just a habit of social interaction, it was from the heart. Midoriya felt confident responding with honesty and sincerity. "Y'know, he offered me my own room but… even if he offered me a hundred rooms, I'd still rather sleep on the couch at your place because, in the end, it's not the house that matters but the people in it."

Katsuki's heart was beating rapidly. He didn't understand. What was so great about him? Why did Midoriya prefer him to an alpha that was willing and happy to baby him? Whatever the reason was, Katsuki was glad for it. He enjoyed having the omega around. Even though he was frustrating and annoying, he was also cute and fun. He wanted him to stay a while. "Hey… I'll be better from now on, okay? We'll get some clothes for you, stuff that fits, and, uh… tomorrow we can clear out my office so you don't have to sleep on the couch anymore." He hoped the boy wouldn't notice how red his face was.

"Katsuki? Thanks…" Midoriya mumbled, in awe of the omega's sudden generosity. 'Is he offering because of what I said about Mr. Todoroki? Why? Does he feel threatened? I mean, I guess that's just how alphas are. They're always competitive, no matter what.' Midoriya tried to return the niceness. "Everyone thinks you're so mean, Katsuki, but deep down, you're actually a really swee-"

The uncomfortable alpha cut him off. "Your hair looks like shit." He said, blurting out the first thing that came to his head to stop the omega from saying something that would just embarrass him more.

The boy huffed in frustration. "That's why no one thinks you're nice! When people try to be nice to you, you act like a dick." He grumbled. "Maybe I _should_ move in with Mr. Todoroki."

Katsuki smiled, knowing that Midoriya was just trying to get him to feel bad now. "Is that what you want? Okay. Hey, as a going away present, let's stop by the pet store and I'll let you pick out any collar you want." He teased.

"Stop that! Oh my God, you're the worst!" Midoriya tried hard but couldn't keep in a little chuckle. Katsuki's dark humor strangely resonated with him. "Mr. Todoroki is a nice man and you should treat him with respect!"

"What kind of respect does a person who would pair green pants with green shoes deserve? Did he choose that outfit? You look like a tree."

"Huh?" Midoriya confusedly looked down at his lap and the skinny jeans he was wearing. "Katsuki… these pants are maroon…" He pointed out.

"The fuck they are." He grumbled, avoiding eye contact. He didn't even look at the omega's pants to see if he was wrong. "That's what I goddamn meant, get off my back."

"Katsuki… What color is my hair?" The boy prodded.

The alpha was acting suspiciously nervous. "Short." He replied with confidence.

"I didn't ask the length, I asked what color it is." He reminded.

"The fuck is this? Some sort of annoying ass IQ test? I said lay off, I can't look right now anyways unless you want us both to get into a car accident and die."

"It's yellow." The omega tested.

A look of relief passed over Katsuki's face. "Idiot! Think I don't know that?"

"Oh my god… Katsuki, you're color blind."

"The fuck do you know!? Are you some sort of color doctor?" The alpha growled, embarrassment causing his face to flush red.

Midoriya chuckled. "What color is your car?" he teased.

"You better knock that shit off…" The alpha threatened. Midoriya had already learned not to be afraid of him and happily persisted.

"You have such beautiful green eyes, Katsuki."

"You want to sleep on the street, Mouse!?"

"Hey Kacchan, hey Kacchan~" The boy was caught in the midst of a giggling fit now. "Is Christmas just, like, grey?"

The alpha had had enough. He roughly pulled over the car, surprising his passenger who emitted a little gasp. The boy suddenly realized that he had gone too far when the alpha turned to him with stern, angry, eyes. He shrunk into his seat, his heart pounding. "I'm color blind." The alpha announced in a low, growling, tone. "But I don't need color to pin your skinny ass to the ground so make sure you watch your feet before you go stepping on toes. Got that?"

"Yes, Alpha." The omega whimpered, showing complete submission.

"Good." He grumbled, slowly turning the car back onto the street and driving.

Despite the awkward and heated interaction, both parties surprising found themselves uncomfortably aroused. For Midoriya, it was because of the alpha's aggression. He knew he wasn't in danger, Katsuki wouldn't hurt him, so those tense muscles and dominant aura made his flesh pickle with excitement. An unfamiliar alpha acting aggressive was terrifying but a nice, safe, alpha acting aggressive was hot as hell. It stirred up a primal desire in him to be dominated. He couldn't help it. Katsuki's words echoed in his head over and over, saying, 'I don't need color to pin your skinny ass to the ground'.

As for Katsuki, what got him was the boy's big doe eyes and the use of the title 'alpha' in submission. Dammit, Midoriya was already cute but after a long day of worrying about him and fighting off other alphas for him, that cuteness was all he could think about. 'He is an omega, after all. It's not like I can just ignore him. I'm genetically designed to be interested in him in this way so really, it's not that weird that this happens.'

The last ten minutes of the drive were silent, Midoriya casually resting his neck on his hand to cover up his scent gland so that the alpha would catch the growing scent of arousal. He was embarrassed by what was happening to him. 'Is this because Katsuki came to help me today? Because of all the alpha pheromones he released earlier? Shit… is my heat coming? I have no idea what my schedule is. I need to look into finding some good heat hotels around just to be ready if it is that. Fuck! I don't have money! Am I supposed to ask Katsuki to pay for me to stay at a hotel? No way, that's so embarrassing and pathetic! But I can't stay with him…' The omega couldn't help but imagine going into heat around the muscular, blonde, alpha. The scent got worse. There was no way Katsuki didn't smell it.

As soon as the pair got home, they quickly dismissed themselves behind locked doors. Midoriya closed himself into the bathroom, quickly saying that he had to pee while the alpha found his way to his room.

Katsuki frustratedly pulled down his pants and found the traitorous body part. His semi hard penis bobbed excitedly, asking the alpha to give it what it wanted. He scowled at it as if were betraying him when, in reality, it _was_ him. It was only reflecting his true desires. He didn't want to acknowledge that he was really attracted to Midoriya, not just as an omega but just as a person. He was cute and fun and even when he was being annoying, it stirred an excited fire in the alpha.

Katsuki decided to get rid of the annoying and uncomfortable erection quickly and pretend it never happened. He told himself this wasn't about Midoriya, it was just about having omega pheromones around, as he wrapped his hand around himself and started thrusting into his own hold rhythmically. Normally, he would keep his hips still and tug with his hand until he was done but, for some reason, he really needed to move his hips this time. 'It's not about Mouse, don't think about him.' He told himself but it was useless. His mind continuously broke free and ran into uncharted territories, picturing the cute greenette and his soft, freckled, skin. Over an over, he thought of those big doe eyes and the word 'alpha' leaving his soft lips. He hated that he couldn't get the boy off his mind.

In the bathroom, the omega was facing a similar predicament. His body was calling for attention, thoughts of the blonde alpha driving him crazy, but he couldn't figure out where to sit or how in the cramped space. He tried out a few positions before finally succumbing to his last resort, laying on the ground on his back with his knees up to his ears. He didn't have time to figure it all out, he needed to do it quickly and secretly. He breathed heavily, his shirt pulled into his mouth as he used two curling fingers to give himself the sensations that he so badly needed.

He reminded himself over and over not to make a peep but it was so difficult. Every time his fingertips rubbed against his prostate, those fierce red eyes flashed into his memory. That rough voice, his toned muscles, the memory of being pinned under him. There was more than that too. There were other elements of Katsuki that Midoriya really liked too, elements that weren't related to him as an alpha but rather, him as a person. He liked that Katsuki could always read how he was feeling even when he didn't say anything or how he would suddenly be so sweet and docile when Midoriya needed comfort.

Midoriya's eyes shut tight and he bit his bottom lip as he found that sweet spot and hit it mercilessly, the blonde's name echoing in his head so much that he whimpered, "Kaa-" as he finished, unable to keep it in. He continued slowly pulsing his fingers in and out, his body jerking slightly with each remnant of orgasmic pleasure. His relaxed body slowly got up and he cleaned himself. He tried his best to cover up all lingering lust and pleasure pheromones. He flushed the little bits of toilet paper that he had used to clean his own cum off of his chest and his sweat off of the bathroom tiles before sealing the deal with way too much aerosol. Despite his efforts, his clothes had soaked in the sweat and pheromones. He was a giant walking billboard that read, 'I totally just fingered myself'. He knew he had to change so he opened the bathroom door, peered out to make sure the coast was clear, then darted out and grabbed one of the shopping bags.

The clothes Todoroki had chosen were alright but he didn't feel that they suited him that well. They looked more like Todoroki's clothes. Button-ups, slacks, sweater vests, skinny jeans. He preferred bright colors and interesting patterns over the neutral-colored, pleated styles that the alpha had chosen. He pulled out a new set of pants and a button-up shirt, throwing his dirty clothes in the bathroom hamper without a second thought. Finally, the evidence of his deed was hidden to his satisfaction and he could leave the bathroom. He was surprised to see that he was alone. 'Is he still in his room?' Midoriya wondered. 'Shit… he did smell me, didn't he? Is he avoiding me because I made him uncomfortable?'

In his room, the alpha finished, panting heavily as he came into a tissue. Despite how hard he fought it, he ended up thinking about Midoriya. 'I don't want to become just another horny alpha…' he thought as he waited for his knot to deflate. 'He doesn't need that. He needs to focus on becoming independent. Besides, he's pretty much forced to be here with me out of necessity so if I let things get physical, it would be more of a hostage situation than an authentic relationship. He can't really say no, he'd be too afraid of loosing food and shelter. Besides, he'd probably say yes just because he thinks he owes me something. There's no way this could ever become romantic, it wouldn't be fair' the alpha decided.

Midoriya decided to stick the left-over pizza in the oven just in case Katsuki was unhappy with him. He wanted to do things that would make the alpha happy so he wouldn't throw him out. Next, he tidied up all over the already tidy house. The alpha finally appeared after ten more minutes. He was surprised to see that the man had changed clothes too. The taller man spoke first. "I'm going to start clearing out the office." He said, leaving to a room down the hall. He needed some space between him and the omega so he could relax.

"Okay." The omega answered, nervously waiting in the kitchen. 'He's definitely mad, he just avoided me… but he said he was cleaning out the office so he wants me to stay, right?' Midoriya didn't know what to do with his anxiety so he grabbed a bowl and started whipping up come cake batter. 'He can't stay angry if I bake a cake' he decided.

The alpha got busy moving boxed of files into his own room. Physical labor always helped him clear his mind so once the paperwork was moved, he rearranged the furniture just for the hell of it. He was able to move the file cabinet out into the garage but had nowhere to put the desk so it had to stay. He also didn't have an extra mattress so he created Midoriya's bed out of the couch cushions and huge comforter nest that now smelled equally like both of them. When he had the room pretty well set up, the little omega peered in from the door frame. "Katsuki? Dinner is ready." He looked around. "You set it up? I thought you wanted to do that tomorrow?" He stepped in and started looking around, sniffing the new space curiously.

"I figured I could at least make it hospitable and tomorrow we can get some real furniture." The alpha responded.

Midoriya smiled, his heart swelling with hope. If Katsuki was serious enough to buy furniture, then he must not have been angry. The omega noticed his comforter in a pile on the makeshift couch cushion mattress and felt an innate desire to fix it. His nesting instincts were nagging him until he just gave in and crawled into the bed, arranging the thick comforter just how he wanted it. Katsuki watched with a slight warmth spreading to his cheeks. It was really cute to watch the omega nest. When the boy was satisfied, he stood back up and looked over his work. Katsuki couldn't really tell the difference. To him, it just seemed like a random mound of blanket became a slightly more organized mound of blanket. Still, the omega was happy with it. Katsuki knew that, now that he had his own space, Midoriya would want to do this with the whole room. He'd be picky about what he brought in and how it was organized. He'd constantly adjust and fix the room to make sure it was right.

The alpha cleared his throat. "Hey…" He said awkwardly. "What you called me in the car before… that stupid nickname… I mean, I've been calling you by nicknames too so it's not a big deal."

Midoriya replied with a luminescent smile. "Okay, Kacchan~" He said. 'He wants a nickname… which means he thinks we're friends!' "Hey, no one else calls you that, right?"

"Of course not." The alpha answered, his cheeks tinted pink.

"Good. Nicknames are better when they're unique."

"I'm having whiskey. You drinking?" Katsuki asked before leaving the room, trying to distract from his red face. He'd never had a nickname before because he never let anyone call him by one. He already had a name and he didn't understand why people were so interested in changing that. Now… he was beginning to understand. This was something only Midoriya would call him… it indicated that they had a private relationship, that they knew each other in a special way. Fuck, that was adorable but also the most embarrassing shit Katsuki had ever thought of. He went out to the kitchen followed by the curious omega and poured himself a whiskey sprite.

"Is that alcohol?" Midoriya asked.

"Yup." The alpha confirmed, tipping his head back and letting half the glass slip down his throat. He set down his glass on the granite countertop with a _clink_. "You want something?"

"I… I don't know. Do I drink?" He asked.

"How should I know? Here, I'll make you something even a baby would like." The alpha reached his mixer. He made a sugary mojito with just a shot of white rum. And handed it to the omega. The boy took a sip of it. It didn't taste bitter at all, it was just a sweet minty drink. He hummed happily and drank it down easily. "Hey, you should slow do-" Katsuki began but the drink was gone before he could finish. He rolled his eyes. "Look, I know it doesn't taste like alcohol but you still have to pace yourself with stuff like that." He scolded. "Here. Eat." He took two pieces of the warmed-up pizza and sat them on a plate in front of Midoriya.

"My heart feels warm." The omega noted once he'd devoured half of his first slice.

"That's the alcohol." Katsuki informed him, finishing off his own drink. His was much stronger but he was much more accustomed to the liquor.

"Hey, Kacchan. What's you family like?" The greenette asked.

"They're okay."

"Why aren't there photos of them in your house?"

" 'Cause I'm not fuck'n twelve, that's why."

"I think that's a normal thing for even adults to have." The boy pointed out. "Mr. Todoroki has pictures of his family at his house."

"I already told you his family is weird so why are you comparing me to that?"

"Do you have brothers or sisters?" He persisted.

"Nope."

"What about your parents?"

"They moved to Alaska."

"Alaska as in… like America?"

"That's the one."

"Why?"

"Some god damn peace and quiet is my guess."

"Do you see them often?"

"Not really."

"Why not?"

"What's with all the questions?"

"I just want to get to know you better."

"You've seen my bare feet so there you go, you know me better than anyone else."

"You don't wear sandals?"

"God no."

"Why not?"

"Sandals are for children and outside people."

"Do you mean… homeless people?"

"Just stop thinking about my feet, okay? It's weird."

"You're the one who brought them up."

"Change the subject." The alpha ordered.

"I saw something cool today. Wanna guess what?"

Katsuki sighed and rolled his eyes. What constitutes 'cool' to someone like Midoriya? "I dunno… a dog?"

"That would have been cool but no. I saw that the outlet mall is already looking for elves."

"Say that again but in a way that makes sense."

"Well, I need a job and the mall is going to start hiring Christmas elves soon. That's something I can do without any work experience, right?"

"You don't need a job." Katsuki argued.

"Yes, I do." Midoriya insisted.

"No, you don't. You need to focus on your education so you can get a _real_ job. Besides, you don't need money right now. I'll take care of food and whatever while you're getting shit done."

"There's something I need my own money for…" He said shyly.

"What? To fix that haircut? I have a pair of scissors in my room."

He took a deep breath and diverted his gaze uncomfortably. "In case I go into heat, I need to be able to go to a hotel and I want to pay for that kind of thing on my own."

"Oh…" That hadn't even crossed Katsuki's mind. He'd never had an omega around like this before. He knew that, once a year, his female colleagues would go on leave for a few days. He often forgot why and asked them how their vacations were when they came back. 'That's right. At some point, Midoriya is going to go into heat. Okay…well, he can just stay here. Nowhere is safer than here. No, shit. He can't stay here. It would drive us both crazy and we'd definitely do shit.' He thought. "Okay… yeah… I'll, um, talk to the omegas at my work and ask them which hotels they suggest."

Katsuki didn't know much about heat hotels but he knew they were expensive as shit. The nice ones with a top-notch security were 700- 1000 dollars a night. He was not letting Midoriya stay somewhere that he didn't think was safe. Every once in a while, the same report would show up on the news. It was the same story every time. Alphas bribed guards or broke in and raped a few omegas. It was like kids drowning in pools. It was horrible but year after year, the same thing just happened over and over again. Katsuki, however, would not let Midoriya fall into that story. "Look… Mouse… Let me pay for it." He offered. "I don't want you to go somewhere shitty."

The omega shook his head with complete refusal. "No. You can't. I need to do this myself."

"What if it starts tomorrow? What then? Are you just going to wander out into the woods like the olden times? Come on, this is something we have to take seriously."

"We? No, this is my thing. Don't worry, I'll take care of it." He dismissed, trying to shrug it off.

Katsuki had no choice but to be honest again. "Look, Midoriya… I'm not just helping you out because I have to. I mean, that's what it was in the beginning but I could have just called the police and had you sent off to a little holding cell with a bunch of strangers. It would have been easier for me to just do that but… I chose the more difficult route because I give a shit what happens to you, okay? I tried really hard not to give a shit but you won and now I do so if it's something really big and important like your heat, I want to be there for you and make sure everything's okay."

The little omega watched the alpha with tipsy adoration. 'Katsuki… is actually a good alpha. Really good. Like something out of a romantic movie. He's aggressive and dominant and mean but also so nice and docile. And he really gives a shit. He's hot as hell, too.' He gave a small and sincere smile. "Thank you. I still want to start saving money of my own but knowing that you're on my side means… like, everything to me. I mean it. You're one of the only people I knew so this is a huge deal." He chuckled. "Thank you, Kacchan."

"Yeah, whatever." Katsuki poured himself another drink. He needed to change the subject again. That seemed to be the theme of the night since he kept getting flustered. "Mouse is a shit nickname. It's not unique at all. From now on, you're Deku."

"Huh? Why?"

"Because it suits you."

"Do you mean it like 'useless' or like 'you can do it'?"

"That's your choice. If you start acting like a little shit, it's the useless one. On the other hand, when you get your shit together and start kicking ass like you did with that math workbook, it's the second one."

Midoriya thought about that and smiled. "I like it." He held up his empty glass. "Another one of these to celebrate!" He cheered. The bartender scoffed and accepted the glass, making him the same drink without liquor. Midoriya didn't know the difference, he just knew that it was sweet and yummy.

The two ate Midoriya's cake and joked until the boy's head started lulling sleepily. The alpha put down his drink and helped the omega walk into his new room. Once the boy caught the familiar scent of his favorite blanket, he knew what to do. He threw off his shirt, shimmied out of his pants, and got into his warm nest. Katsuki gathered up the discarded clothes and threw them into the laundry machine.

It was only nine and he was not drunk so, because there was no omega to entertain him, he decided to do some laundry. He gathered up the clothes from his room and added them to the load before emptying the bathroom hamper too. A strange scent was lingering on those clothes. He sniffed a few of the towels before finally finding the omega's outfit from earlier. It was drenched in lust and pleasure pheromones. At first, he became extremely protective, assuming the scent rubbed off on him from Todoroki but as he thought about that, it didn't add up. 'He didn't smell like this in the car and neither did Todoroki. And these are definitely omega pheromones, this is from Deku. So did he…?' The alpha blushed at the suggestion. 'He must have done that thing in here. Why? Was he turned on from his date? No way. He didn't even smell like this when that ass-wipe kissed him. This isn't about Todoroki. Wait… earlier, in the car, he smelled like this too. Right after I yelled at him, he started smelling like this. Did I get him hot?'

Katsuki slapped his own cheek, trying to stop this trail of thought but it didn't help. 'I accidently got him hot. Fuck… I need to be careful. I guess I can't just go around yelling at him anymore. Earlier it was fine because he was scared of me. Now, I guess we're too close for that. Dammit, I liked yelling at him. Wait… did he think about me while he…?' Katsuki slapped himself three times harder for even thinking about that. 'No! I will never think about this again!' He told himself, throwing the clothes in the washer with too much force. He shut the washer door and started it, pretending that would erase this whole thing.

"Kacchan?" A little voice called. "I heard a door slam, is everything okay?"

"It's fine! Get the fuck back to sleep!" The growled.

"Okay. Night, Kacchan." The omega mumbled, deaf to the alpha's curses at this point.

The alpha learned his forehead against the wall in frustration. 'Go away. I need all of this to go away. I want things to stay normal' he thought. 'I'm supposed to be helping him, no funny business. He's going to learn some shit, get into school, find his family, and leave. That's the plan. That's always been the plan. Fuck, I shouldn't have even made him a room. He's not staying. All of this is going to go away and things are going to be how they were before. Go away, go away, go away.'

Katsuki knew that, even though he wished it, this wasn't just going to go away. He felt himself being drawn deeper and deeper into the omega's gravity.


	5. Stay

Katsuki's living room featured a wall of windows that looked out to the forest side of his house. Because of this, Midoriya used to wake up as soon as the sun did when he slept on the couch. The light would flood into the room, getting the boy up at six in the morning. In his new room, there was only one window and it was covered with a blind. Because of his slight drunkenness and the darkness, the omega slept in until nine, successfully hibernating for twelve hours. In fact, he probably wouldn't have even gotten out of his bed at nine if he hadn't smelled sausage and eggs cooking in the kitchen. He tiredly stumbled out of his room and into the kitchen, still wearing only his boxers.

The alpha stood in front of a sizzling pan, the radio idly mumbling on in the background. "You're cooking?" The boy asked, taking a seat at the table.

"Don't act surprised. Before you showed up, I cooked every meal, every day." He replied, turning some fat sausages in the pan.

"Smells good." Midoriya commented, pouring himself some coffee from the pot already waiting on the table. He sniffed the bitter drink. "Do you have sugar?"

"Yeah." Katsuki quickly fetched an unopened bag from the cabinet. He'd bought it a year ago and never used it. He didn't bake nor did he sweeten tea or coffee. The omega, on the other hand, liked everything sweet.

The boy put a whopping spoonful of sugar into his coffee and finished it off with a douse of milk. Katsuki watched, rolling his eyes. 'He's ruining perfectly good coffee,' He thought, flipping his eggs carefully so as to not break the yoke. He glanced back and found the green-haired boy sipping from his mug and giving him a big smile. 'Who smiles like that in the morning?' He wondered. This omega was so weird and so cute at the same time.

After a few minutes, the alpha brought his finished product to the table. He felt a tad insecure. The omega was a better cook without even trying and had a more refined sense of taste. 'What if this is too bland for him? What if it just sucks? I mean, I bought the sausages at a nice butcher and any idiot can cook an egg so it'll be fine, right?' He wondered. He watched as the omega hungrily took two of the thick sausages and two eggs onto his plate. He dug in without a moment of hesitation and smiled after poking a yoke-covered bite of sausage into his mouth. "It's good!" He complimented.

Katsuki was relieved and proud. Somehow, the omega's opinion had begun to matter to him. They ate together and listened to a radio program that aimed to catch cheating partners. Midoriya listened with interest the whole time, sometimes gasping and whispering to Katsuki things like "Jessica? Who's Jessica? That's not his girlfriend." Katsuki found the boy's absorption in the drama to be kind of cute.

They did the dishes together then Midoriya took a shower and Katsuki put away last night's laundry. The omega's dresser looked pretty scarce with only a few items of clothing in each drawer and only one pair of fitting shoes. 'I gotta get him some more clothes. If he's going to go be independent, he's going to need at least two weeks' worth of clothes not to mention winter jackets, snow boots, rain jacket…' Katsuki knew that Midoriya was going to leave. That was the plan from the first moment they met. This was supposed to be a quick rehabilitation effort and nothing more. But as the alpha looked around the little room, he felt that he didn't want that plan anymore. Having the omega around wasn't that bad. Sure, he could be a little annoying but he never really got in the way or made life more difficult. If anything, having him around made things a little more fun and a little less lonely.

'Is there an alternative?' Katsuki wondered. 'Could I ask him to stay? He could still go to school, I could drop him off on my way to work and pick him up so he doesn't have to take the bus. And if he stayed here, he wouldn't be sharing a little apartment with two or three strangers. It'd be safer and more private. Plus, I could provide food and electricity so he wouldn't be scared of going hungry and cold. This is the best option but… is that more than I can handle? Can an alpha really stay this close to an omega for so long and never want more? And it's not like he's just a regular omega either. If it were someone else, I could probably do it but Deku is… he's… _special_.'

Katsuki listened to the running water of the shower and glanced around to make sure he was alone before approaching the boy's nest and taking a few deep breaths, pulling in that wonderfully mixed scent that the blanket gave off. It smelled like both of them. His own scent was clean and sharp like mint while the omega's was a little fuller and softer like fresh cinnamon rolls. Despite what Katsuki had assumed, they actually smelled really nice together. 'He can't stay…' Katsuki decided. 'It's too much… I'm already falling for him.'

It was a comforting and heart-warming scent. His eyelids flicked open as soon as he heard the shower stop. He quickly exited the room and made himself busy straightening up the condo. He glanced toward the bathroom when he heard bare feet pittering on the hardwood. The omega had a towel wrapped around his body as he made the quick journey from the bathroom to his new bedroom. Katsuki felt pride well in his chest when he saw that the notches of Deku's spine were hardly visible anymore. It made him happy to see the omega recovering.

'If he was my omega, I'd get to take that towel from him and monitor his progress a little more closely' he though, regret immediately following. 'Idiot! Stop that!' He scolded himself. 'He can't be yours like that and you know why. It wouldn't be fair to him. You can jerk off secretly in your room if you have to but once you leave that room, those thoughts die too.'

In his new room, Midoriya dropped the towel and looked at himself closely, measuring his protruding hips with his fingers and happily finding that the bones were a little more hidden than before. His knees were a little less knobby and his collar bone wasn't as noticeable. He used the selfie camera in his cellphone to inspect his face where the weight gain was most noticeable. His eyes weren't as sunken or dark as they had once been and his jaw line was starting to soften too. He happily ran his fingers over the bridge of his nose and cheek bones. 'This looks much better!' He thought to himself. 'I wonder if Kacchan think I look better too? No… probably not. He doesn't act like that with me… I guess I'm not his type. I wonder what his type is? Maybe people who work out a lot. Quiet people, serious people, introverted people like him.

As the omega got dressed, he couldn't help but wonder about whether or not the alpha was as attracted to him as he was to the blonde. 'Kacchan is really handsome, everyone knows that… Plus he's a great alpha. He's strong and dominant but also so caring and sweet. Am I good omega? I guess not… after all, I'm still too skinny and too independent. A perfect omega is a little chubby and needy. Kacchan probably wants someone like that… I guess I'm not meant for him. I'll probably end up with Todoroki.' Why didn't Midoriya like that prospect very much? Todoroki was nice and sweet and he was obviously into the omega so why didn't he feel that same tingly joy when thinking about Todoroki that he felt when considering the blonde alpha?

'Mr. Todoroki is nice and he likes me. It only makes sense that I'll be with him. But Kacchan doesn't like him… it's important to me what he thinks. I trust him. Even if he is frustrating and confusing at times, he really does want the best for me… could I… could I have him as my alpha? That would be the best circumstance… He's the best choice for me but he's also the least likely in reality. He would be mad if he even knew I was thinking about this. He's told me a hundred times that I shouldn't be looking for an alpha right now. I don't want to disappoint him by trying to start a relationship despite all the work he's put into helping me become independent. I guess, as long as I can stay close to him that would make me happy.'

The omega dressed, finding his clothes already clean and in his drawers. When he entered the living room, he saw that the alpha was putting on shoes. "Ready to go?" Katsuki asked.

"Go where?" The omega tilted his head curiously.

"We're getting furniture, Idiot." There was no malice behind the mean name.

"Oh! Yeah." The omega quickly slipped into his shoes. He liked Katsuki's house but it was fun to leave too. He enjoyed getting familiar with the world again and hoped to see something or someone that would help him remember his past. A few times a day, he got snippets of memories. Smelling the cooking sausage brought back a faint remembrance of a family breakfast. Seeing building pass bye outside the car window gave him a gentle sense of dejavu. He knew that with time and exposure, he would be able to remember.

In the car, Katsuki went through his outside protocol. Midoriya had to stay within the same isle as him and have his phone on him at all times. He told him what to do if he got lost or if someone started harassing him. He didn't want to be controlling or to treat Deku as his omega, he just didn't want to repeat the incident at the grocery store either. It seemed like every time the boy left the house, he was taken advantage of.

Midoriya didn't mind Katsuki's rules at all, he had planned to stay at the man's side the whole time anyways. When they arrived at the parking lot of IKEA, the omega stayed flush to the blonde's side. The sky was a little over cast and there was a small chance of precipitation throughout the day. Midoriya breathed in deep breathes of the cool, pre-storm air as if experiencing it for the first time. He knew what rain was but he didn't have any clear memories of it until now. Once inside, the omega looked around at everything curiously. Thankfully, not many people were around on account of it being a Monday morning. He was electrified with curiosity as they walked through the stage kitchens and bathrooms. He wanted to stay and look through them but the alpha continued on, unimpressed by the décor.

Katsuki was halted in his mission-driven search for the bedroom department when a little hand tugged on his sleeve. "Kacchan?" A familiar voice called, making the man's heart grow warm. He turned around to the omega who was pleadingly glancing from him to the displays. Katsuki looked over to the set ups that had the boy so excited.

He understood what the omega was asking for and nodded approvingly. "Sure, let's look." He agreed, walking along side the bouncy omega as he sniffed, touched, and played with everything. It was a bit annoying and embarrassing but more than anything, Katsuki found it irresistibly cute.

"A lot of people have been here." The boy noted, taking in a jumbles mess of scents. Men, women, alphas, and omegas. He was interested in all of these people. He went through several kitchens and bathrooms, the alpha following behind him, meeting a hundred strangers just through their scents until he finally met a real, live, person. There was little female omega about his own size dressed in a way that was interesting to Midoriya. She wore a big scarf around her neck and elastic, wool, bands on her wrists. She was dressed in long, loose clothing that covered her pregnant belly like the traditional clothes of older times. The boy watched curiously.

"Why is she dressed like that?" He whispered to Katsuki.

"Go ask her yourself." He encouraged. He wanted the omega to practice interacting with other people.

The boy hesitantly approached the woman, wearing a friendly smile. She wore short brunette hair and an equally pleasant expression. "Hi." He greeted.

"Hello." She replied kindly. "What are you here for today, Omega?" She asked. Her voice was soft and sweet.

Midoriya was a little surprised by the use of his title. It was often used derogatorily but he could see that she meant it with affection. Still, it was odd. "S-some home things." He answered before glancing back to Katsuki nervously. The man nodded, encouraging him to continue.

The woman chuckled. "Is that your alpha?" She asked.

"M-My alpha? No. No, no, no, we're roommates." The boy answered, blushing profusely.

"Is that so? My apologies then. It's nice that you two go shopping together."

Midoriya was blushing and wanted to change the subject away from Katsuki. "Um… He was wondering about your clothes." The boy said. "He wanted me to ask you why you cover your wrists and throat like that."

"He said that?" She saw right through his lie but happily explained anyways to avoid embarrassing him. "I dress like this because there are some things I want to give only to my alpha. You see these bands?" She showed him the woolen cuffs on her wrists and a matching one on her throat hidden under the scarf. "They're made of the same components as heat patches, specifically zinc fibers and polypropylene, and I use them the same way as heat patches. They cover my natural pheromones. You see, pheromones are a special and intimate way that an omega communicates with their alpha so I would rather only use spoken language with strangers and save this language for when I'm with him."

"Oh…" Midoriya thought over what she had said. He was learning a lot recently about what it means to be an omega. This woman had a pretty conservative and romantic idea about it. "That's a beautiful explanation." He replied. He didn't know what kind of omega he was or what he wanted to become.

"You think so? Thanks! I'm Ochako, by the way." She said.

'She's really friendly…' The boy thought. 'I shouldn't be so nervous. She's an omega, I can trust her.' "I'm Midoriya." He replied, smiling as they shook hands.

"Midoriya? That's your family name, right? That sounds familiar…" She hummed, trying to remember. "Have we met before?" She asked him.

"Have we? I-I'm not sure. You see, recently I hit my head pretty hard. I don't remember a lot… and I've forgotten everyone I knew before."

"Oh dear!" She cried with a little gasp. "Are you okay?"

He blushed a little, flattered by her concern. "I'm fine. That alpha over there has been helping me out." He explained.

"Have you forgotten even your family?" She asked.

"Well… yeah. I'm working on remembering them so if you, by chance, know any Midoriyas then-"

The girl had already turned her back on him and quickly slipped behind the fake wall of the kitchen. A moment later, she returned, pulling an alpha along with her by his arm. The alpha was taller than either Shouto or Katsuki and had a very domestic, fatherly, look to him.

As soon as another alpha was brought onto the scene, the blonde was at Midoriya's side protectively. It was fine to give him space when he was talking to another omega but now, Katsuki couldn't just stand aside and watch. He glared at the navy haired stranger.

"Honey, we know a family by the name of Midoriya, right?" Ochako asked her husband. The man kept glancing nervously at Katsuki. He had good reason to be on edge, the shorter alpha was aggressive and strong not to mention that his wife was pregnant.

"Midoriya? Yeah, I think so." He replied. The greenette's heart started racing wildly. "My boss's son got married to a Midoriya last year. We stopped by the wedding."

"Who!?" Midoriya demanded to know, his eyes dilated with excitement. "Wh-who was getting married? Did they look like me?"

The man tried to remember. "I… I can't recall…" He thought. "I didn't know the couple, we were only there as a formality and we left early because Ochako was feeling ill."

"That's right!" His wife added. "It was just a few weeks into the pregnancy! So that was…" She counted on her fingers, "About six months ago, I think. Do you remember six months ago?" She asked the boy.

He shook his head, silently begging God to just give him back his memories. "I don't…" His heart hurt. He felt so close to his past yet there was a barrier that was keeping it unreachable.

"Cute little omega, don't worry." She cooed, hugging Midoriya. He was surprised by the open affection but then again, he'd heard that pregnant omegas become more motherly. "Here's what we'll do. You and I can exchange numbers. You have a phone, right? And I'll look through all my pictures and scrapbooks and see if I can find anything from the wedding, okay? As soon as I find something, I'll call you. How's that?"

Hope began to flicker again in Midoriya's chest. Maybe she would find the wedding invitation or a video of the ceremony. Anything at all would be a guiding light in his search for his past. He hugged back happily. "That would mean more to me than you could understand." He agreed.

She broke the hug and pulled out her phone, tears running down her cheeks. She quickly wiped her face. "Sorry, I'm fine. Pregnancy hormones." She explained before handing him her phone so he could input his number. Midoriya immediately handed the phone off to Katsuki who actually knew how to use such a device. He typed in Midoriya's number and the phone was returned to the emotional young omega.

The two omegas were already pretty fond of each other. Ochako affectionately squished Midoriya's cheeks and the boy responded with giggles and happy chit chat. The navy haired alpha finally broke up their weird love fest by reminding Ochako that they had an ultrasound appointment at two. She kissed the greenette's cheek and they parted ways. Midoriya looked up to the alpha at his side, a smile spread across his face. "They were nice, huh?"

"Sure." Katsuki responded apathetically. He liked that the omega was making friends and meeting other omegas but was also a little jealous. Midoriya was so open and affectionate with Ochako right off the bat, there were no awkward boundaries between them like there were between people of the opposite gender. He never acted that way with Katsuki. 'Omegas can just love up on each other and get all cuddly whereas alphas always have to compete for dominance. We're naturally on edge and slow to trust. Deku, in his truest form, is just a happy-go-lucky, naïve, carefree, bunny rabbit.'

"Can you imagine if I had a brother or sister?" He muttered happily.

The alpha just grunted.

"If it turns out that I have a brother or sister, will you go out for lunch with us? I'd want them to meet you."

"Meet me? Why?"

"Because you're important to me, obviously."

"I know it feels like that now but once you get your memories back and realize all the friends and family you have, I'll just fade into the background. I'm only important to you right now because I'm the only person you know."

"That's not true, I know four people now and I still like you best."

The alpha blushed at that comment. "Fuck'n whatever, you're dumb." He blurted out. Being embarrassed always made him more aggressive. The boy chuckled, not taking the insult seriously.

"Hey, that's the bedroom section, right?" Deku went ahead of the alpha and walked into the model bedrooms, interested in the decorations. Most omegas were very interested in home design. It took a long time of deliberation and comparison but the omega finally chose some things. Katsuki expected him to be picky but he was surprised when they passed their third hour and he was still contemplating which shade of blue would promote the right aesthetic. Katsuki was bored out of his mind. He could hardly tell the difference between green and red, much less Carolina Blue and Robin's Egg. His house was nice but he didn't care much about the decoration. He chose his décor in black, white, or shades of grey just to avoid mismatching. He preferred sharp, clean designs and minimalism. Deku, on the other hand, seemed to like bright colors and organic patterns.

When it was time to go, they had to run out to the car through the pouring rain, their arms full of shopping bags. Deku was giggling as he fell into the passenger seat and quickly shut his car door, his hair dripping everywhere. The alpha scowled. "What are you laughing about? These seats are leather, you better not get them wet." He scolded.

"I can't help it, I like it."

"You like ruining my car?" He growled.

"I like the rain. I don't really remember rain. I mean, I know what it is but it feels like the first time."

Katsuki was willing to forgive the wet seats in light of such a cute statement. He blushed and started driving.

"Ochako hasn't texted me yet. Did you give her the right number?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Don't be annoying. She's probably busy."

"Do you think she's going to find anything."

"Maybe."

"What if she doesn't?"

"Then we'll keep looking. Didn't you say that Candy Cane bastard was supposed to look at his school for something?"

"Oh yeah! Can I go to his house after he comes home from work?"

Katsuki snarled at that suggestion. "No."

"Don't be like that."

"Like what?"

"You get especially aggressive any time I mention Mr. Todoroki. He's a nice man. I know what happened when we went to get coffee was a little… well, weird, but you know he didn't intend to shove me and that little misunderstanding about our relationship was nothing to get caught up on."

That familiar rumbling in Katsuki's stomach returned. It felt so vile and bitter. What was this feeling? Jealousy? But why? Katsuki had nothing to be jealous of. "He's annoying, why are you defending him? You don't actually like him, right?"

"Of course I like him." The boy responded, his cheerful grin taken over by a curt scowl.

"Don't play stupid, you know what I mean."

"I don't see why you're so interested in what I think of other alphas."

"I'm not!" He denied quickly. "I'm not, I don't care. Go jump of a bridge or whatever, it's none of my business."

The omega took a deep breath, calming down slightly. He was the more level-headed and forgiving of the two. "It's too late to pretend like you really don't care what happens to me, Kacchan. Why else would we just spend four hours at IKEA doing something you hate? You care."

"I don't." The man stubbornly insisted.

"So… I had it wrong? My mistake. You wouldn't mind if I started seeing Todoroki then, right?"

"You have eyes, you can see anything you want."

"I'll let him call me his omega." The boy pressed further, seeing how much it would take to get the alpha to snap. It was dangerous but exciting. He liked when Katsuki got possessive, it made his stomach burst with butterflies.

Katsuki grunted in frustration. "Good for you. You can go ahead and just throw your shoes out the window then so you can get started on being barefoot and pregnant for the rest of your life."

"He's a bit traditional, yes, but he's a nice man and he would be a good alpha."

"Oh I bet he would." Katsuki grumbled sarcastically. Why was Deku being so annoying? And why did all this talk about Todoroki piss him off so much? 'It's because I like him, isn't it?' Katsuki thought. 'I was never going to act on it but still, it's annoying when he talks about other alphas.

Midoriya let some of his true insecurities slip out. "I mean, I can't stay single forever. It may be fine for you but unmated omegas are the lowest social class. They get called all sorts of mean names like 'leftovers' and 'shrews'. Go ahead and tell me that I should focus on becoming an educated, independent omega. It's easy for you to say stuff like that. It's much more difficult to be in that situation. No one wants an omega like that."

"Shut up, plenty of alphas prefer that. We don't all want the weak and needy type, okay? It's annoying. Only shit-eaters like Candy Cane want their omegas to be vulnerable little flowers."

"Is that what you like? The independent type?" The greenette blushed when he asked this question.

"Why does it matter what I like?"

"I just… I wonder if you don't encourage me to be educated and independent because… that's what you think is best but the rest of the world doesn't agree. Isn't it unfair to set me up for failure like that?"

They pulled into the driveway of Katsuki's house and Midoriya automatically went to open his door only to have the alpha reach across the seat and pull it shut, trapping them both in the car. "Don't get out yet." He commanded, the dominance in his voice making Deku shiver. The omega nodded and met eyes with the alpha. Those ruby irises demanded sincerity. "If that's really what you want, you should tell me now. I'm not going to push you to be someone you're not. If you don't actually care about this education stuff… then fine. I'm not going to kick you out or anything. You can even move in with Todoroki if you want. But… when you were on that date with him before, you really seemed unhappy to me. I don't think you were meant to be the submissive and agreeable omega that he wanted you to be. When you're at home doing your math practice and bossing me around… that's when you seem the most like yourself. So just tell me what it is. Who are you, Deku?"

The boy's heart was beating like mad when he was caught in the alpha's strong gaze. When he was with Todoroki, Midoriya had to remind himself to submit to the alpha but with Katsuki, it was so natural. His instincts told him to let the blonde take control, to follow his head. It felt natural to be his omega. "Who… am I?" He thought about the question. When did he feel most like himself? When he was snuggled up in the alpha-scented comforter, when he sipped bubbly cocktails and chatted carelessly, when he listened to retelling of crime action shows, when he solved a challenging problem in his workbook… _when he was with Katsuki_. "Ka-Kacchan, I'm not the only omega in the world that wants an education and a career of my own but plenty of us have to choose between that and family life."

"Why? You're young, you'll have plenty of time to start a family later if you want to."

"Sure, I'll still be able to carry a baby and all but it's not just a matter of biology. If I wait until I'm thirty, people will suspect that I had to wait this long because there's something wrong with me, not because I wanted to. People look at omegas that put so much effort into personal bettering and think, 'He's so consumed with thinking about himself, he'll never be able to submit to an alpha with the selflessness needed for a good marriage'. You don't know how competitive it is to find a mate. Todoroki's not perfect but he's a good one and he's interested in me so how can I pass that up? I don't want to wait and never find anyone. I may have to settle for a bad alpha who doesn't act sweet at all… I may be alone…"

Midoriya felt a warm, rough finger slide along his jaw line and stop at his chin, pulling his face upwards so that he made eye contact with the alpha. Katsuki was losing control to his alpha instincts. Even such a little touch like this made the omega melt. "Is that what you're afraid of? Being alone or mistreated? When you were mistreated and left alone on my front yard, who was there?"

"You were." Deku's soft voice answered.

"That's right. Don't forget, I'm an alpha too. I have the ability to take care of you just as well as anyone else. So what's all this nonsense about 'an alpha will never accept me, I'll be alone'? That just sounds like an excuse. I got you furniture, I put warm food in front of you every day, I keep lurchers away. That's what you want from an alpha, right? So what are you missing that makes you choose settling for a mediocre marriage over staying and getting your education?"

"I'm not a heartless person, Kacchan. I want to fall in love and have a family someday…"

"You'll never fall in love by settling, think of a better excuse."

"I need other things too that come with love…"

"What things?"

"Well… heat is really painful for me…" He mumbled.

"You want to marry someone for sex? You can't be serious, Deku."

"Hey! Don't pretend to be all high and mighty! My physical needs are completely val-" Deku was caught off guard by warm lips smashing against his. His eyes went wide at the passionate contact. It wasn't Katsuki's style to do that slow, limp-lipped shit. He kissed with intensity. He broke the kiss and gazed deeply into the boy's glazed-over eyes.

"Open your mouth." He ordered. The shocked boy didn't immediately respond. "Open your mouth." He growled, his voice heavy with dominance. Midoriya's peach lips parted, reveling a slick pink tongue. The alpha held his jaw in place and dove in again. This time, his tongue explored Deku's mouth. He twirled his tongue around Midoriya's and crashed them together with heated passion. Small whimpers and moans bubbled in the omega's throat. This was so shocking and crazy and overwhelming but at the same time, he was completely engaged and intoxicated in the moment. His hands gripped the seat and his heartbeat pounded in his ears. Katsuki finally broke the kiss again, both parties panting.

"I've taken care of housing and food for you and I can take care of your other needs too so there's no reason to leave." The man stated bluntly before opening his car door and walking into the house. The stunned omega grazed his fingertips over his lips. Katsuki was normally so apathetic and emotionally distant but that was so… different.

'Is this what he's like when he's full alpha? It's intense… he's like a five-thousand-degree fire.' Midoriya was trembling slightly from the adrenalin rush and his head was buzzing. 'It didn't feel like that with Todoroki. Why do I respond so much to one alpha but not the other? Why is it so natural to submit to Katsuki? He's attractive and nice, of course, but could it be that I like him in a different way? When I thought he would be a good partner before, I was thinking more logistically. Nice face, nice house, sweet intentions. Now… I think I see past those more obvious things. My heart is drawn to him. Even if he were ugly and poor… I think I'd still feel this way. It's more now than I thought it was. I like him."

Midoriya's thoughts were abruptly cut off when his passenger side car door was opened. Katsuki looked in with an embarrassed, awkward, slightly apologetic, expression. He had come down from his alpha high and was back to his regular self. "Hey… uh, sorry I was weird just now. That's on me… that was my bad." He apologized.

Before, Midoriya had been so freaked out and excited but now, seeing this secretly bashful and awkwardly nice Katsuki made that warm feeling of comfort and safety flood back to him. That impulsive and passionate Katsuki before was fun and intense but this was the Katsuki he knew. This was the man his heart was attached to. The boy smiled softly, showing the alpha that it was all okay as he stood up from the car. He figured it was better not to mention that kiss. Katsuki didn't mean it like that, it would be better forgotten. "I think, if we both take as much as we can carry, we can get everything from the store into the house in one trip." He said.

The blonde was relieved. Once he got into the house and his crazy hormones started to settle, he realized how insane he had gotten. 'Damn it. You promised you'd leave Deku alone. He doesn't need you as a partner, he needs you to help him get his education. You can't just act on every impulse, Idiot.' He scolded himself. 'It's not my fault though, he was obviously antagonizing me to get a reaction. And once I started getting angry, he just submitted all cute like… seriously, what did he think was going to happen? He can't just treat alphas like that, he'll get himself in trouble.' Katsuki grumbled and rubbed his temples. 'No… This is on me. I'm the one who kissed him… fuck. I have to go fix this.'

He felt so stupid for just leaving the omega in the car to stew in confusion and panic but when he saw that forgiving smile, his fear of rejection dissipated. He thought Deku would hate him or be afraid of him but he was the same old Deku. He knew this omega would accept and forgive him, no matter what. He was completely unique and completely amazing.

They brought the bags into the house and immediately, Midoriya wanted to get to work putting together his room. Katsuki knew this was a process that could take hours so he got dinner started and just relaxed on the couch with a drink to catch up on Deep Thunder. Every once in a while, the omega would call out from his room where he could hear the show playing and ask what was going on. The stove timer went off and the alpha served up two plates of baked tilapia. He brought Deku's to the doorway but didn't step inside. An omega's room was private territory, they were deeply connected to their 'nests'. Katsuki was impressed by what he saw. It looked like something out of a magazine. The only thing that didn't match was the big, grey comforter. "We should have gotten you new bedding." He mentioned.

"I like this set." The omega replied protectively. He'd already bonded with the blanket. He'd had it longest of everything in the room and it had alpha scent on it.

"It's too big for that futon." Katsuki pointed out.

"Is that dinner?" Midoriya sniffed, drawing the attention away from the blanket so he could keep it.

"Yeah."

Midoriya watched the alpha silently for a moment while deciding on a difficult decision. "Do you want to… come in?" He asked. It made him uncomfortable to have other people in his space but he knew and trusted Katsuki. The alpha entered and sat beside him on the floor, setting the two plates on the ground. Deku breathed in the man's scent and became more comfortable.

"It came together well." The alpha remarked, the little praise in reparation for the smaller's hospitality.

"Thanks." Deku began to eat. "You know, I was thinking about what you said in the car. I know you weren't quite yourself but I still think you were right. I wasn't myself with Mr. Todoroki. I want to go to school and have a career. Being here is when I'm most myself."

Katsuki blushed, chewing a mouthful of rice. "Idiot. Anyone could see that."

"I want to stay here."

"Fine."

The greenette chuckled. He knew that was the most enthusiasm he was going to get from the man. Katsuki was happy. He wanted Deku to stay. He knew it was safer to keep the boy at an arm's distance but he just enjoyed having him around so much. The two chatted while they ate. Midoriya wanted to redecorate the house with more color and Katsuki liked it the way it was. Midoriya's phone pinged twice with notifications but he was so unaccustomed to the sound that he didn't know where the noise was coming from until the alpha told him. He took one more mouthful of his dinner before turning on his phone and opening the message from Ochako.

The boy's eyes immediately went wide. Attached was a photo of Ochako and her husband. On the left side of the photo, Deku recognized himself leaning against a wall and talking to someone with red and white hair. Midoriya could clearly recognize himself and he was certain that that unique hair coloring could only belong to one person. Beneath the photo was a message that read. "Hey Midoriya. I think I found something. Is that you in this picture?"

Deku's heart was racing. 'Why is Mr. Todoroki in this picture? We've met before! Why doesn't he recognize me now? Or… did he recognize me and lie to me? Why? What on earth is going on?' He wondered.

"Deku?" Katsuki asked. "What's up? Did she find anything?"

The trembling omega showed his phone screen to the alpha and after a quick examination, Katsuki had the strong urge to violently murder his neighbor.


	6. Truth

Shouto was having a quiet day. He went to school in the morning, gave the same lecture on bisecting angles six times, then went home to a warm cup of tea. As he had promised, he looked up the Midoriya family name in the school's database. He didn't intend to share his finding with Midoriya but he wanted to know what was out there. He wanted to know if there was any proof that he and Midoriya had met before and to his satisfaction, there wasn't. This really was a fresh start for him.

Midoriya was cute and sweet and he was from an acceptable family. This was probably the man's only chance to find a good omega. The other omegas from families that his father approved of were rich little brats who expected their alphas to be incredibly wealthy, power hungry, politicians. Midoriya wasn't like that at all. He didn't care about money. He was genuinely nice. He treated Todoroki like a person rather than a position.

Todoroki scrolled through his phone, looking for a nice place to take Midoriya. He needed something really fun to make up for last time. He still cringed when he thought about the café. It really couldn't have gone worse. He'd been too quick with titles and Midoriya had rejected him. Not to mention accidentally shoving Midoriya into Katsuki's arms. 'It was going so well. We were having a good time. Things didn't start to go haywire until Katsuki showed up. What's with him? He's so aggressive and annoying. Why does Midoriya like him so much? Is it because they live together?'

He found an advertisement for an art museum and clicked on it. 'I bet he would like this… I should invite him. There's a nice restaurant around there too for lunch.' Shouto went ahead and purchased the tickets online. It didn't really occur to him to ask Midoriya where he wanted to go or even to ask about the date all together before buying the tickets. In his mind, an alpha was a decider. An alpha was impulsive. They lead and omegas followed, that was the right and natural order of things. Suddenly, there was a knock on his door. Shouto set down his phone and opened the door, revealing the little greenette.

"M-Midoriya." He said, surprised. "What brings you here?"

The boy looked visibly upset. Behind him, a black Ferrari waited on the street with the engine rumbling. Glowing red eyes pieced through the window and shot into Todoroki with hostility. He could tell that Katsuki was in there, watching them.

"Can I come in? I don't want to talk in the doorway." He said. It was impossible to find one clear emotion in the boy's voice. There was insecurity, sadness, fear, and anger all in one.

"Of course." Todoroki stepped aside and let the boy in, glancing back once more to the dangerous onlooker before closing the door. The boy sat himself at Todoroki's table, his hands shaking slightly. The man noticed and sat beside him, his eyebrows knitted in concern. "Hey, is something wrong?" He asked, gently placing a hand on Midoriya's shoulder. The boy shrugged uncomfortably, silently rejecting the contact. Todoroki took back his hand. "Did something happen between you and Katsuki?" He guessed.

"Did you look up my family name at school today?" The boy asked, his eyes hanging down uncomfortably.

"Oh…" There was a disappointed tone in the alpha's voice. "I'm sorry, Midoriya, I wasn't able to find anything that I could connect to you." He lied.

"Such a large database yet you couldn't find anything?" Midoriya felt his heart sinking. He didn't love Todoroki but he at least thought they were friends. Now, he wasn't even sure of that. This man was lying to him. He was purposely building up barriers to keep Midoriya from his memories.

"I'm so sorry, Midoriya… I'll keep looking. Look, I can tell this is really bothering you. You need a break from your own mind. Let's you and I do something fun, alright? There's this museum-"

"You keep calling me Midoriya…" The boy interjected.

"Huh?"

"You keep calling me Midoriya… If we're really friends, call me by my first name." His weary voice requested.

"I don't…" Todoroki replied hesitantly. The atmosphere between them was growing slightly tenser.

"You do." Midoriya corrected, his voice gaining more confidence. "You know my name. You know me. You know my family." He pulled out his phone and opened the photo with tears brimming on the corners of his eyes. He was frustrated and angry and confused and betrayed. Todoroki looked at the image and realized what was happening. "You lied to me so many times… why? Are you the one who did this to me?"

"M-Midoriya… Midoriya, look, you don't understand." The alpha stuttered, his heart racing with panic. He felt as if the ground was slipping away beneath him. He had to fix this. He had to salvage their relationship, to explain, to make Midoriya understand. "I wanted to tell you! B-but you don't understand how big and dangerous this situation is. It was for your own good that I kept the truth from you! Midoriya, you have to believe me." He tried to take the omega's hand but it was ripped out of his grip.

"Call me by my name!" He demanded, tears finally breaking free.

Todoroki's throat felt so tight. It was burning hot and his head was buzzing but he managed to get that name past his lips. "Izuku…"

"Izuku?" The boy repeated, feeling the strangely familiar syllables on his tongue. It was foreign to him but it felt right. He knew it was right. As the name soaked in, the omega became sure that, yes, that was his name. _Izuku_. "Why did you hide that from me?" He whimpered.

"Because… Because the truth was dangerous. It still is. The people who hurt you meant to leave you on my doorstep instead of Katsuki's. It was a mistake. I had to protect you from those people."

" _Why?!_ Why, why, why, why, why!? I don't understand what you're talking about! Just shut up and tell me the truth!"

The alpha took a shaky breath and let the truth spill, framing it in a way that didn't make his real motives for lying so obvious. "Okay… I met you only once before at the party where that photo was taken. It was a wedding. Your uncle got married. I attended as a guest with my father, we came to talk to your parents about a business deal. My father does a lot of business, not all legally. He's a dangerous person but your parents didn't really know that and he's fairly charming so they agreed. You see, you're from a banking family. They're not billionaires or anything but they're certainly not poor and they could surely help my father finance his business ventures.

My father wanted a loan from your family so he could build up a chain of restaurants abroad. The restaurants were a front for something else, something very illegal and very controversial. Of course, many people didn't want him in this business and threatened him but he still carelessly dragged your family into it. I'm so sorry for that. I didn't know until it was too late. What happened to you… I'm afraid that was a result of this deal. Whoever did that wanted to break off the deal between our families so they took you and intended to send you to me as a warning. There was some confusion and you ended up at Katsuki's house.

When I saw you and realized what happened… I was shocked. The first time I lied to you, I really didn't mean to. I was taken aback, I didn't know how to react. I didn't know what to do but after thinking about it… I decided it was safest if you didn't know and kept a low profile for a while. I thought… I thought I could protect you… I could help you remember slowly and safely. It's my fault what happened to you. I should have known what my father was up to and stopped him before you got involved. I'm sorry. I was trying to do what I thought was best… I know you must hate me right now… I understand… Please try to see that my feelings were real and through all of this, I only wanted to do what was right for you."

"Is that it?" The boy mumbled, his head hung low so that his fluffy bangs hid his eyes. "You wanted what was right for me? You see… for me… it feels like I was kidnapped twice. Once by the people who left me in a trash bag… _and once by you._ You knew my name, you knew my family, you knew everything but you stole that from me and held it hostage. You treated me like your pet. You took me out, you changed my hair, you changed my clothes, you lied to me, you kept me vulnerable and dependent on you. Does that sound like freedom to you? Because to me… that sounds like a hostage situation."

Shouto felt that drowning situation taking over. He was losing, his hope was draining, he was clawing for the surface and finding nothing to grab onto. "I-Izuku… I'm sorry… Please try to understand. I didn't know what to do-"

"How long were you doing to keep me stupid? Until you tricked me into marrying you? Were you hiding all of that to make me an easy, desperate, target? For all the shit you give Katsuki, at least he treats me with some dignity."

"No! _No_. My feelings were real. I like you, Izuku. I really do. I never wanted you to be stupid…"

"I don't want to talk to you anymore… I feel sick like I might hurl…"

"Izuku…"

"Please write down the address or phone number of a member of my family. You owe me this much, right?"

All the broken-hearted alpha could do was nod and comply silently. He was defeated. No matter what he said, Izuku saw through his carefully crafted truth. He knew the alpha's selfish desires. He retrieved a piece of paper and got the address of the Midoriyas from his father while the omega vomited into a waist bin. The boy didn't know how to feel. He felt so stupid, so taken advantage of, so manipulated. It was a horrible feeling that made his stomach churn.

He wiped his mouth and snatched the piece of paper from the alpha's hand before turning and leaving without another word. The omega went straight back to the car, back to the only consistent part of his chaotic life, and got in without a word.

"Say the word and I'll go kick his ass right now." Katsuki offered as soon as the boy sat down. It was Deku who had insisted so vehemently that he wait in the car. The omega wanted to handle it himself.

Izuku didn't respond to the alpha's offer. Slowly, he pulled his knees up to his chest and hugged them. It soon became apparent to the alpha that he was crying. Katsuki's heart turned from hard hatred and anger to gentle empathy in a moment. When it came to Deku, the alpha wore his heart on his sleeve.

"Hey…" He said, his voice calm and soft. "Deku… that guy's a prick, don't let him get to you. He doesn't deserve even a sideways glance from you, much less your tears." He practically hot-boxed the car with his comforting alpha pheromones. Midoriya couldn't biologically resist the calm sleepiness that crept in. It reduced his inhibition and made it so that his thoughts slipped out of his mouth without hesitation.

"Am I stupid?" The boy asked, his voice small and trembling. "Do people look at me and think that I'm some stupid, naïve, vulnerable, omega that isn't worthy of their respect?"

"Do you want the truth?" The alpha asked.

God yes. Izuku couldn't handle any more lies. He nodded.

"Some people do. Some people look at those around them and search for their weaknesses. They find ways to manipulate others. You're good. You're really a good, loving, trusting, and forgiving person. Some see those traits as amazing and others see them as an opportunity." Katsuki would never speak like this to anyone else but for Deku, every instinct in his body told him to comfort without restraint. "Listen to me. I'm not getting anything from you so you can trust that I'm telling you the truth. You're smart. You're clever, you're strong, you're witty, and you're headstrong. You deserve to be admired and honored for who you are. You deserve a great deal of respect."

Izuku put his head down and broke into sobs. Katsuki had the incredible ability to crumble his walls. He tried to be strong, he tried to hide how much this affected him but with this alpha, there was no point. His heart was completely vulnerable. He believed what Katsuki said but he couldn't help that a dagger had just sliced through his heart and it hurt. He glanced up and briefly met those penetrating ruby eyes. He felt safe, like he could do what he truly wanted to do without hesitation.

He crawled over the middle consul of the car and placed himself in the alpha's lap. To his surprised, the man reacted in exactly the way he wanted. He wrapped his muscular, warm, arms around the boy in a safe embrace. Katsuki had never acted like this before but he let his instincts take control and tell him how to treat this vulnerable omega. The boy leaned against the man's chest and finally began to calm down. Katsuki's warmth, the sound of his rhythmically beating heart, his familiar and homely scent. Midoriya's body naturally submitted. He put his troubles on the alpha and felt content to accept his leadership. He trusted this man completely.

When Deku was finally able to breath normally and the tears had stopped, he reluctantly returned to the passenger seat. He wanted to stay with Katsuki like that but he also wanted to get away from Todoroki's house. He could feel that other alpha watching the car and he couldn't stand to be under that man's gaze anymore. It made him sick.

They began to drive. "Where are we going?" Katsuki asked.

"Can we drive for a bit?" The omega wanted some time. He liked the small space of the car. He liked the low rumbling of the engine, the gentle movements of the tires on concrete, the alpha pheromones, and most of all, the alpha beside him. Katsuki took them through the neighborhood then out into the city. They circled blocks and paced streets until the omega was ready to make a decision. "I want to see my family… they must be so worried about me."

"Put the address in the GPS." Katsuki replied.

"Are we going now? I can't show up looking like this."

"If you show up alive, they won't care about the details, I promise."

"I'm scared."

"Why?"

"I don't know… what if I'm not who I was before? What if I don't recognize someone? What if I can't remember everything. What if…"

"I'll take you back to my place if you want but I think, despite all the fear, you want to go home. You've wanted to go home for over a week now. This is really what's going to be able to give you back what you've been looking for all this time."

Deku nodded. He knew the alpha was right. He was afraid but more than that, he just wanted the puzzle of his life put back together. He didn't want to be lost anymore, he wanted to know who he was. He wanted his identity back.

Katsuki drove them to a nice estate and parked the car out front. He sized up the house from the car. "Your family owns this place? That gives me some peace of mind, I guess. I don't think I would have dropped you off if it was some broken-window shack with needles and kerosene tanks on the front yard. This is pretty nice, they'll take care of you well." He was hoping to reassure the omega but he still looked anxious as ever.

"Deku… they're your family. It'll be okay." He insisted. The boy still wasn't responding. "Here, keep the phone. It's yours and I'll keep it on my plan so you don't have to worry about data charges or loosing service. You can call or text me whenever you want. If something happens and you want to come back to my place, your room will be just how you left it."

That gave the omega some comfort. He nodded, offering Katsuki a little smile. "Okay… I'm ready." He announced. "Kacchan… thank you for everything. I-I don't know why you did so much for me and I can't repay you but I'm really, really, thankful."

The alpha rolled his eyes with a smile. "Come on, don't get all sappy."

"But really… why did you do all of this? Why did you help me? Why did you take care of me? Why do you treat me so well? For my going-away present, I want a truthful answer."

The man scoffed. "I owe you a going-away present?" The omega waited expectantly until the alpha relented with a sign and another roll of the eyes. "Fine." He made eye contact with the greenette, fiery crimson eyes piercing into soft emerald ones for the last time. " _Because… because you're special_." He admitted, his voice saturated with sincerity. He cupped the boy's cheeks, his hands gentle and loving, and brought his face in for a soft peck on the forehead. That was goodbye.

After that, the omega exited the car and Katsuki watched as he walked up to the door. The front door opened and immediately, a woman embraced the omega. That was enough for Katsuki to be satisfied. He drove off, leaving his first love behind. Deku was never his. He had a life and a path that wasn't meant to collide with Katsuki's. The whole thing began as an accident anyways. Katsuki knew it was going to end but still… he couldn't help but want to turn the car around and go back. He wanted Deku. He was amazing, unlike any omega he'd ever met, but he knew that wasn't fair. Deku deserved to return to his regular life and go back to who he was before, not be caught up with some random alpha because he felt indebted. It was hard but Katsuki kept driving. He couldn't keep Deku because the omega didn't belong to anyone, he was his own.

Izuku recognized his mother the moment he saw her. Her hug felt familiar, it felt like years of warm comforts. Slowly, his arms came around her and he joined her in crying. He couldn't really remember specific events from his past but he could clearly recall emotions. He remembered his mother by remembering how it felt to be loved by her.

"Inko? Who was at the door?" A man asked. Deku looked up and saw a tall, blonde, man walk into the doorway. The man's eyes went wide when he noticed who his wife was clinging to. Izuku felt a smile bubble up onto his face. 'Dad… That's dad…' he remembered as memories of love and warmth flooded him. The little omega was soon crushed between two very strong, very loving, and very emotional parents. Ever though Izuku was so abundantly happy at that moment, there was one thing missing, one little cavity in his heart that remained in wait. He wanted to share this moment with Katsuki.

Izuku's mother prepared a fatty dinner of avocado toast and bacon for her bony son as he recalled for his parents the story of his disappearance. No matter what he said, he always came back to the handsome alpha who opened his door that first day. Katsuki was at the corner of every story.

"I guess we really owe some gratitude to this Katsuki fellow, don't we?" His father remarked. "I'm in no way happy about what happened to you but I'm glad that he was there. That was sure lucky."

"Yeah." The boy agreed. "I got lucky… I really did."

Inko began to suspect a deeper relationship between the two as she listened to Deku's stories. A mother can sense that sort of thing. "You two grew quite close, didn't you?" She asked.

"Mm-hm." Her son answered.

"Your father's right, we have a lot to thank him for. Why don't you ask him to come over for a meal so we can thank him properly?"

"I don't know, Mom… he's a busy guy… and I don't want to bother him anymore…"

"Honey, if he really did everything for you that you say he did, then he doesn't think of you as a burden. He went above and beyond the bare minimum of charity so I'm sure he enjoyed your company."

"I guess you're right."

"Of course, I am. See if he's free this weekend." She suggested. She turned to her husband. "Honey, can you bring us the family albums?" She asked. Her husband was especially sentimental. The whole time Izuku was growing up, he was always taking photos. They had volumes upon volumes of photos. There wasn't a single event in Izuku's life that wasn't recorded.

The rest of the night was spend reviewing albums until Izuku was mentally exhausted from all the remembering. He went to bed early and although he found it relieving to lay down in a bed soaked with his own scent, he couldn't find sleep. He missed his blanket, the same blanket that was currently wrapped around the blonde alpha on the other side of the city as he too struggled to sleep. He found the silence unsettling and odd. He'd never noticed it before. He'd never noticed how quiet and empty his house was until now. He was never lonely before. Now, he felt as if he was missing something huge, like half of his home had just been bulldozed. It was just gone. This wasn't the same house as before. He closed his eyes and breathed in the heavy scent of the comforter. That satiated him enough to get to sleep.

Midoriya wasn't so lucky. He laid awake most of the night, only managing to sleep for two or three hours. Even though he was at home with his own blood family, he felt lonely. He normally fell asleep listening to Katsuki's feet on the hardwood as he did late night loads of laundry or the distant mumbling of the TV. He always slipped into unconsciousness enveloped in the scent of the alpha. Now, there was no noise and he smelled only faint wafts of Katsuki's scent in his clothing.

The next day, during breakfast, Midoriya sent a text to Katsuki.

Midoriya: Hey Kacchan! Just want to let you know that everything is going well here at home! 😊My family is so nice and I'm remembering a lot. Are you free this weekend? My parents want to have you over for lunch to thank you.

The alpha's heart raced with excitement when his phone pinged. He quickly read the message.

Katsuki: They don't have to thank me but dinner is fine. Any siblings I need to take to lunch?

Midoriya: No I'm an only child.

Katsuki: I suppose that's good. One Deku is more than enough, two would be chaos.

The omega giggled, swinging his feet in his chair like an excited schoolgirl.

Midoriya: No one calls me Deku here.

Katsuki: Of course not, it's not your real name.

Midoriya: By the way, my first name is Izuku.

Katsuki: Did I ask?

Midoriya: No, but I know you wanted to know. 😊

Katsuki: Cocky little shit.

Midoriya: Miss me yet?

Katsuki: You wish.

Midoriya: Have you heard of something called Snapchat? You can send pictures to your friends.

Katsuki: Welcome to the 21st century.

Midoriya: Download it so we can do that.

Katsuki: I'm busy and that's stupid.

Midoriya: Please? We have a pet cat, I'll send you pictures.

Katsuki: Tempting. I'll consider it.

A few hours later, Midoriya received a friend request on Snapchat from an account called KingExplosionMurder much to his delight. He accepted the request and immediately snapped a photo of himself to send. Within minutes, he got a notification that his photo had been screenshotted. In return, he got a fuzzy photo of some dumbbells. The alpha was at work and unaware that Midoriya could see when he saved photos.

Katsuki never texted anyone but now, every time his phone pinged, he wanted to drop everything and respond. Deku sent pictures of every room in his house and about a hundred of his cat. There were even some of his parents but the photos Katsuki liked best were the ones that featured his smiling, freckled, face. He missed that face and he missed when he was the only one who saw those smiles. He knew he should be weeing himself off this addiction but it felt so good to just get a hit of Deku. Each little message fueled his desire more.

He laughed aloud when he received a video message from Deku. The boy was holding a college diploma and jumping around, cheering "I'm smart! I'm super smart!". The caption for the video read "LOOK WHAT I FOUND!". The next several messages were blurry photos of his ecstatic smiling face as he explained that he had a major in Russian literature and a minor in English. He even sent a video of himself dramatically reciting Russian poetry.

Katsuki realized that he was really, truly, infatuated with this omega. He was so happy to see that Deku had a degree. He drank in that toothy grin greedily, never getting enough of it. His fingertips tingled when those bright emerald eyes flashed on his screen.

Midoriya hardly ever received a picture of the alpha. Most times, he was sent a shot of the floor or a muddled grey mess. Occasionally, he did get a snipped of the man's face like a bit of his head and that threw him in torrents of excitement. That night, he made a ballsy request that he knew was a slim hope. He was having trouble sleeping so he asked the alpha to video call him. Of course, Katsuki refused immediately but after a few minutes of bargaining, he agreed to video chat for just ten minutes.

When Katsuki's face appeared on Midoriya's phone screen, warmth and happiness flooded into his heart. He smiled. "Kacchan! You've gotten so old!" He teased.

The alpha scowled. "I'll hang up." He threatened. It was clear that he was also in bed.

"Nooo…" The omega whined. "Hey, you're coming this weekend, right?"

"When is it? Saturday, right?"

"Saturday and ten. That's fine, right?"

"Yeah, that's fine. It's not going to be weird, right?"

"Of course not! Why would it be weird?"

"I don't want your parents to make a big fuss or anything. Knowing you, you probably exaggerated everything."

"I told the truth!" He defended. "Can you bring that comforter from my bed with you?"

"No way! That's my blanket, it's part of my bed set!"

"Please!? I'm used to sleeping with it! I can't sleep well anymore."

The man grumbled in annoyance. "Okay, it'll be your graduation present."

"Thank you!"

"So you really are a little smarty now, huh?"

"Yeah! I mean… I'm not sure what I can do with this degree but I have it!"

"You can do whatever you want. Didn't you want to be a criminal forensic scientist or a detective or whatever? Why not get another degree?"

"You think I could?" The boy asked excitedly.

"Sure. God, you have to get that haircut fixed."

The boy pouted and twisted a strand of hair between his fingers. "You really think it looks bad?"

"It's not the haircut itself, necessarily. It just doesn't suit you. You look like a little prick."

"Kacchan!"

"I'm only telling the truth." He said with a chuckle. "You're supposed to be going to sleep. At least close your eyes." Midoriya huffed in frustration and closed his eyes. Katsuki smiled. Deku was so cute. He traced his fingers over the soft pink lips on his screen. "Hurry up and fall asleep."

"I can't just do it on command."

"Then count sheep or whatever."

"Tell me a story about your childhood."

"Oi, that wasn't part of the deal."

"Please? I'll go right to sleep, I promise."

The alpha so easily rolled over for this little omega. He began telling him about the time he broke his finger and tried to hide it from his mom so he wouldn't get in trouble for playing in the ravine.

Deku giggled lightly as he listened and, as promised, he was asleep before the story ended. Katsuki spent a few minutes soaking in the peace of the boy's face before turning off the call and going to sleep as well. Neither of the men could wait for Saturday, it felt as if they'd been separated for a year rather than just a few days.

Deku laid on the couch at his house, trying to concentrate on a book of poetry by Robert Frost but an annoying longing kept him from focusing. He remembered when Katsuki had scented him to help him relax. The feeling was so right. His omega instincts cried out for it again. He didn't smell like the man anymore and he wanted to rub his scent glands on the alpha again to get it back. He wanted to rub wrists, forearms, necks… he wanted that bonding.

Katsuki found himself equally impatient. He often ended up remembering back to their kiss in the car. He still regretted his actions but he was at least glad to have the memories. He could space out and live in his fantasy for a few minutes at a time. Once, when spacing out at home, he found that his imagination was hungry to take him further. He recalled the heated kiss, the clashing of tongues. He could recall clearly the taste of Deku's mouth, the scent of his pheromones, the sound of his mewls. It was as if he were reliving the moment except this time, his arms wrapped around the boy's waist and roughly pulled him into his lap. Even back in that moment, this was in the back of his mind.

He imagined fumbling for the lever on the side of his seat that would release the back of his seat and lay the two flat. Katsuki felt guilty letting his imagine go wild like this but he wanted to see it. He wanted to see that thing that he had only considered broadly. He unbuttoned his pants and slipped a hand in, allowing the sinful scenario to play out.

He imagined the panting omega beneath him, his fingernails scraping at the man's back as he entered. He imagined with perfect clarity the tight heat of Deku's entrance. He pushed in, earning himself the most delicious moans and lustful whimpers from the omega. In his imagination, Deku said the words that Katsuki wanted to hear but would never admit to. " _I'm yours, Alpha_ ~" That sweet voice sang. " _Take me, Katsuki! Please! I want you… please make me yours and only yours~_ "

Katsuki finished even before his imaginary self. "D-Deku!" He called as he came on his pants. He panted for a few moments and let himself collect his thoughts before changing out of the dirty pants and throwing them in the washing machine. After that, he laid in his bed and shoved his face into a pillow, growling with frustration. How did he accidentally create an alpha-omega bond with someone who's so completely unaware of his feelings? 'Man, I really fucked myself now…' he thought. 'We're not even mates but I have all the desires of a mate. Now he's happy and moving on and I'm screwed. How do you get over a breakup that never happened? Fuck my life. Fuck me, fuck him, fuck all this shit.'

Saturday came and much to Midoriya's delight, he woke up to a light dusting of snow outside his window. He excitedly pressed his hands to his window and felt the burning cold of the glass. This felt like his first snow. He immediately slipped his shoes on and went outside to investigate. His mother was inside preparing dinner and this father was at the window, keeping an eye on his son. Although Deku was a young adult, both parents feared losing him again and kept a close eye on him.

"What do you think of this Katsuki we've been hearing so much about?" Inko asked her husband.

"I'm grateful to him." He responded.

"Of course, that's not what I meant. I mean… what do you think of him with our Izuku?"

"Huh? You mean… romantically?"

"You've seen how Izuku talks about him."

"Oh… Do you think those feelings are mutual?"

"Well, we'll see soon enough but I can't imagine an alpha going to so much trouble to care for an omega without some romantic feelings."

"He could be one of those people who's just not interested in romantic relationships." The man pointed out.

"I hope for Izuku's sake that that's not the case."

Toshinori was surprised by her statement. "We just got him back and you want to marry him off?"

She smiled and rolled her eyes. "Honey… he can't stay here forever. He has to grow up and make a life for himself. It sounds like Katsuki could be the right one for him. He didn't get anything for taking care of our boy, no sex or money, but he still did it well and with commitment. I know it's hard to see your child leave the nest but… maybe it's coming time for that."

"You think so?" The man watched the boy outside who was gathering up enough snow to make a small, asymmetrical and lumpy snow man. He was so naïve and care free. As he watched, a black Ferrari pulled up on the street and parked in front of their house. "Inko, I think our guest is here." He said, going for the door but his wife stopped him, grabbing his sleeve. "Wait… stay here, I want to watch" she said, glancing out the window. Her son got up the moment he heard the car door close. He spotted the blonde and excitedly abandoned his project to greet the man.

Toshinori stood beside his wife and the two watched as Izuku lead the man by the sleeve of his jacket, stopping to show off his ugly little snow man. Their dialog was muffled and indecipherable but by the looks of it, the alpha was teasing Izuku about his snow man. 'Really? This is the guy?' Toshinori wondered. 'It doesn't look like they get along at all.' As he continued to watch, he began to understand.

Midoriya fainted offensive until the guarded alpha finally subsided and helped him build up the snowman. Both smiled and laughed, content to just be in each other's company. Inko smiled and returned to the kitchen, happily sliding a ham into the oven. "Yup, this is the one."

"You sure?" Her husband asked, leaning against the counter beside her.

"It's their decision… but a mother knows."

"But Izuku is still so young." He complained. He didn't like the idea of handing his precious son over to another alpha. His whole life, he'd guarded him. How could he trust someone else to do his job?

"Dear, he's twenty-two."

"That's so young…"

"We got married when I was nineteen." She reminded.

"Those were simpler times."

"They're not walking down the isle tonight, they're just lovebirds. Give him the benefit of the doubt, alright? See what you think of him after today."

He agreed. He peered out the window again after an hour had passed and saw the alpha rubbing and breathing on Izuku's red hands to warm them up. He took off his own gloves and gently put them on the omega. He hated to admit it but his wife was probably right, they looked like true mates.

The young couple came inside not long after. "Mom, Dad, Katsuki's here." Izuku announced. The awkward alpha busied himself with getting his jacket off. The parents both shook his hand and said they were happy to meet him. Katsuki had the feeling that Deku's parents were watching him… like _really_ watching him. 'Oh god, what did Deku tell them? Do they think I took advantage of their son? He probably made me sound like a living saint or something, he's so dramatic.'

The omega sensed that Katsuki was uncomfortable. "We're going to go to my room. I want to show him the albums." The boy said, again pulling on the sleeve of the alpha.

Toshinori took a step forward, intending to stop them but his wife held his hand and gave him a look that said to leave them be. _"In his room?"_ He whispered once the couple was far enough away to not hear.

"He's an adult." Inko reminded him. "It'll be okay. If Katsuki didn't do anything when he had Izuku alone and vulnerable, he'll certainly continue to respect that now."

Inko could tell it wasn't as easy for her husband to accept the situation so she put him to work helping her with lunch while Deku happily sat on the floor and showed the alpha his albums. He wasn't normally such a self-absorbed person but he was proud of his mundane past because at least it was his. He liked seeing who he was and having hard evidence of his identity. Katsuki liked it too. Mostly, he just liked seeing how happy Deku was.

"And this one is from my high school graduation." The omega proudly showed off a picture of himself in a robe and decorated with chords. "I was top of my class, that's what the red chord is for. I have a special pin too because I was president of the poetry club."

Katsuki was grinning. "So you were a kiss ass?" He joked.

"You're just jealous because I was an undercover genius this whole time." The omega replied with a chuckle.

"What are you going to do now, Genius?"

"I'm not really sure… maybe I will go back to school. I could go into the police academy once I gain some weight and get stronger. I might try to write and publish some poetry. There are so many options. I don't feel stuck anymore…"

Katsuki nodded. 'That's right… when he was with me, it wasn't because he wanted to be. It was because he was stuck. He had nothing. Now he has so much and there's no use for me' the alpha thought. "Promise me you won't go rushing into any marriages just for the sake of getting hitched, okay?" His tone was slightly dampened.

"I won't because… I'm not afraid anymore. Before, I couldn't see any value in myself except as a partner for an alpha. I didn't have any education or money, I was just a breeder. I wanted to get married quickly because I was afraid that if I couldn't do the one thing I was meant to do, I would continue to be nothing until I died. I'm remembering a lot more now and I finally understand what you were telling me before. I'm more than just an omega. I'm smart and passionate and capable of a lot of things. If I can't get married… it'll still be okay. I'll still have so much. So now, I have standards. I know what I want and if it turns out that I can't get that, then I'm okay with being alone."

"You won't be alone." The alpha replied. Deku made it hard for Katsuki to hold back his true thoughts.

"You're right." Deku was smiling peacefully, pink tinting his cheeks. "Because I know that there's one person on this Earth who really knows me. No matter how far apart we are, that thought comforts me. Even when I'm lost, when I don't know who I am, there's someone who truly sees me so… I never feel completely lost."

'So he's found someone?' Katsuki wondered, his eyes dropping to the ground. 'Maybe there was someone this whole time… maybe he was already in love before we met. It's not fair for me to assume that his life began when he showed up on my doorstep. He already had his own story and I was just a chapter in it' he reminded himself. Fuck, it hurt. It was the worst breakup ever considering that they were never together in the first place.

The alpha felt gentle, warm, fingertips graze over the top of his hand. He lifted his eyes and saw that the cute omega was smiling at him. "Don't leave me, okay?" The boy said, his sweet voice washing over the alpha.

'I need him…' the man thought while looking into those shimmering green eyes. 'I tried to hold back… I tried not to fall for him but it's too late…" He never used to understand why alphas tolerated omegas or why they had such desire to take care of one but now he did. He wanted this omega. He wanted to protect him and provide for him and see that smile every day.

Deku read that ' _kiss me'_ face loud and clear. He let his instincts take over. His eyelids slowly fell shut and his head tilted upward, ready to follow the alpha's lead. Katsuki couldn't help himself. His lips were pulled to Deku's as if by gravity.

He felt Izuku's warm breath and filled his lungs with the omega's homely scent. He wanted this. He wanted his boy. Their bottom lips softly brushed for just a moment before the kiss was abruptly broken. "Izuku! Katsuki! Lunch is ready." Inko called.

Deku's eyes widened and his face went red. He looked to the alpha and they exchanged expressions of shock and embarrassment. The omega covered his face in mortification. Moments later, he began giggling. The situation was actually a little humorous. "It's just now occurring to me… _that I live with my parents_." He admitted, peeking through his fingers at the alpha. Days, it seemed so natural to return to and live with his family. Now that he was an adult and wanted to do adult things, he didn't see it in the same light.

The alpha snorted and soon found himself chuckling too.

"Boys!" The anxious father called, hurrying them along. He had a feeling that something was happening. Katsuki stood up first then helped up the omega. He had a lot to think about. 'We were about to kiss, right?' he wondered. 'And it totally looked like Deku wanted that too. Did I read the situation wrong? Or… is there something mutual between us?'

The omega was just as consumed with curiosity as they all sat down at the table and Inko put lunch in front of them. She had made roasted ham, mashed potatoes, and cornbread. Deku explained that his father was half American and grew up in the states so they tended to eat a lot of Western meals. Deku's favorite was pumpkin pie and promised to make some for Katsuki.

The omega's parents asked Katsuki to retell the story of the last two weeks as he remembered it. It was kind of embarrassing but he did his best without including any of the weird moments. They had plenty of questions for him, especially Toshinori who wanted ever detail short of his social security number. After three hours of questioning, the man finally asked his hardest question. "So Katsuki," He began. "It seems like you and Izuku are fairly close, even now. He's always giggling at his phone. I assume you two keep in touch?"

"Y-yes." He admitted. He started to feel uncomfortable. He could sense what the man was going to ask next.

"Do you mind me asking… what's the nature of your relationship with my son?"

Inko annoyedly whacked her husband's arm. Izuku blushed brightly, aware of what his father was implying. He looked over to the equally embarrassed alpha. "Sorry, Kacchan, you don't have to answer that." He said.

Surprisingly, Katsuki opened his mouth. "He's important to me." He answered, his voice steady and sure. "When he was living with me… it wasn't a chore or a burden to have him there. I liked spending time with him and even if he doesn't live with me anymore, I still want to be able to be near him."

Toshinori couldn't help a little smile. "So this isn't the last time I'll be seeing you?"

"No, Sir, it's not." Katsuki replied. He felt a few fingers timidly sweep across his hand. They wriggled in gently and held onto Katsuki's index and middle finger. Katsuki's cheeks grew warm. 'Is he making a move? Is this a romantic gesture? Or just friendly?' He thought back to when he had watched Midoriya kiss and rub cheeks with Ochako who was practically a stranger to him. 'Maybe he's just affectionate. Before… was that a kiss? God, I don't know how to read him at all.'

Inko kept her husband on a tight leash after that and the rest of the visit continued without anymore uncomfortable questions. Katsuki found both parents to be nice and he could see that they truly loved their son. It made him happy to know that he had left the omega in such a good situation. Inko was easy to talk to. He continued to chat with her, mostly about her son, until he realized that it was five o'clock. "I should head home." He said. "It'll be getting dark soon."

"Wait! My blanket." Deku reminded.

"It's in the car. Come on, I'll get it for you." He answered.

Both of them put their shoes and jackets on and headed out to his car. It had begun to snow again, albeit only lightly. The air was so cold and fresh. "Are you going to drive home in the snow?" The omega asked as the blonde got the comforter out of his back seat.

"I'll be safe, Mom." He teased.

"Well, in case something does happen, can I have the other half of that thing you were going to give me now just in case?"

"Huh? The blanket's all I brought for you." He said, confused.

"Before in the bedroom… you started to give me a kiss but I never got the whole thing." The omega was blushing but not as badly as the alpha who was as red as a pomegranate.

"Oh… I-… I wasn't sure if you actually wanted that."

"Didn't it look like I did?" He stepped closer and turned his face up, leading the alpha along.

Slowly, Katsuki took hold of the omega's chin and leaned in. This time he was able to fully connect their lips. The boy went soft, his body perfectly in sync with Katsuki's. Unlike their last kiss, this one was slow and soft. Little white flakes landed in their hair and on their shoulders but the warmth of the passionate contact kept them from noticing.

Deku's head lulled back as the alpha gained more confidence, holding the boy and bringing the kisses to him with a sincere, burning desire. They both lost track of time and remained in each other's embrace for nearly five minutes before realizing that they had far exceeded just one kiss.

"Text me when you get home." Deku requested, smiling shyly.

"Sure."

"Okay."

With that, the new-found lovers parted ways. Deku stood out in the driveway, clutching the blanket to his chest in the falling slow as he burned into his memory every moment of that kiss. He wasn't going to let it be the last would he would have with Katsuki.


	7. Wait for Me

Katsuki arrived home from the Midoriya's place with a newfound fullness. He'd never been anyone's alpha before and now, it looked like that was going to change. Endorphins fired at all cylinders. He felt pride and fulfillment. He wanted this in the most primal way. To be an alpha, to have an omega to care for, to belong to someone.

As soon as he got home, he went into Midoriya's room and pulled the clothes out of his drawers. He walked down the road with them in his arms and dropped them on Todoroki's front lawn where they were immediately drenched in snow. He'd wanted to do that for so long. As he began to walk away, he heard his name called. "Katsuki! Wait!" He turned around and saw the mix-haired man hurrying to slip his shoes on. He jogged out to meet him. "What are you doing here?"

"Giving you back your shit." The blonde responded, his hands buried in his pockets. The other alpha glanced back to the pile of wet clothes.

"H-how's Midoriya?"

"None of your god damn business, that's how." He growled, especially protective of the boy now that he was fairly certain that they'd be in a relationship soon.

"Look, I know you're angry with me. I just want to talk to him. I can explain." The man's voice was desperate.

"You don't have to explain, he already understands. You lied to his face and kept him away from his family to get laid. If you're going to pretend like there's more to the story than that, then I'll have to call bullshit."

"That's not the whole story! I know that's how it looks but I swear, I wasn't trying to hurt him."

"Should I tell the cops I wasn't _trying to_ punch you in the face, it just happened? Get back inside and forget you ever met Midoriya."

"Katsuki, at least hear me out…"

"It's going to be hard to hear you out when there's no more teeth in your head. Go! Get out of here! It's taking a lot of energy for me to restrain myself right now and let me be frank- I'm tried."

"Just let me talk to him for five minutes and you'll never see me again." The taller alpha bargained.

"Are you stupid or something? Open your goddamn ears and listen closely because this is that last time I'm going to say it. _You're never going to talk to Midoriya ever again_ , _he's mine_."

"He's… _yours_? Did he say that?" His eyes widened with realization. He had suspected that the two might be close but to hear it affirmed was the last nail in the coffin. There was no hope for him and Midoriya.

Katsuki smirked. "No… he didn't say it… _he showed me_."

With that, he turned and left the broken-hearted alpha on the sidewalk. Katsuki didn't feel remorse about being so brutal. This was his job as an alpha- to crush lurkers and claim the omega. If Midoriya weren't involved, he probably wouldn't have even given Todoroki the time of day but now he had something to protect.

He couldn't stop thinking about Deku. He was so cute in looks and personality. He was brave and passionate and clever not to mention pretty. _He was so pretty_. He was pretty when he first showed up as a bag of skin and bones but now that he was gaining weight, he was an undisputed 10 in Katsuki's eyes. He had those long thick lashes and lean, dainty fingers. He had a little bounce in his step when he walked and he often stretch out on the couch like a lazy house cat, unaware that the alpha took note of his ass which was slowly gaining some roundness.

He picked up his phone and sent a quick text. He was dying to know what their relationship was but he knew he couldn't be the first one to bring it up. He was afraid that if he asked something like, 'can I call you my omega?', He might get an affirmative answer based on obligation rather than sincerity. He had done a lot for Deku when he was most vulnerable, the omega might have felt like he owed him something.

Katsuki: Got home safely.

Midoriya: Good! Hey, is your stomach upset at all?

Katsuki: No. Should it be?

Midoriya: No, I have a bit of a belly ache so I was wondering if maybe there was an issue with dinner. Guess it's just me.

Katsuki: Green tea and sleep.

Midoriya: Is that an order?

Katsuki: Just a suggestion. I was going to take you out for breakfast tomorrow but if you're sick, I guess it'll just be a raincheck.

Within minutes, Katsuki received a snap of a mug of green tea. He smiled and texted back.

Katsuki: see you and eight.

Deku struggled to get to sleep due to the swarms of butterflies in his stomach. Although that wasn't the first kiss he'd received from Katsuki, he was sure that this one was fully intentional rather than a product of aggravated hormones.

'How come he never initiates those things with me? Today with the hand holding and kissing, I'm the one who initiated those. I know he wanted to because I never forced myself on him, I just laid out the opportunity. And the way he kissed me… he couldn't have felt guilted into kissing me like that. That had to have been real.'

The omega snuggled into the familiar comforter and took a deep breath of the alpha's scent. For some reason, it smelled especially good today. He got his legs around the plush blanket, trying to get it as close as possible as he kept sniffing. He really needed physical contact. He dismissed this especially strong desire as a case of the lovey-doveys and went to sleep.

When Katsuki showed up at the Midoriya house the next day, he immediately recognized that there was something different about Deku. He couldn't really put his finger on it other than noticing that his scent was a little different. It was just a twinge sweeter. "How's you stomach?" He asked as they walked from the front door back out to his car.

"It's all better now." He lied. He didn't want Katsuki to call off the date. In reality, it was getting worse. His whole abdomen was sore as if he'd been doing sit ups and his body felt slightly achy not to mention that he was getting feverish. Maybe it was a little cold.

They got in the car and started driving. For some reason, the motion of the road just did not sit well with the omega. He felt nauseous and soon, the bitter taste of bile was climbing up his throat. "Ka-Kacchan…" He mumbled. The alpha glanced over and finally realized that Deku was definitely not normal today. "Can you pull over for a sec?"

The alpha did so immediately just in time for Midoriya to open his car door, lean out, and vomit on the pavement. Katsuki hastily unbuckled his seatbelt and went around to the passenger side of the car. He brushed the boy's bangs up with his hand so he could look into the green eyes. Just as he expected, they were glassy. "Idiot. You're sick." He helped the boy sit up in his seat.

"I'm not!" Deku insisted in a pleading voice. "Let's just go, I'm not sick."

The alpha sighed. "Look, I'm still going to take you out for breakfast, just another day. Come on, let's get you home."

"I'm fine!" He promised.

Katsuki wasn't going to hear any more excuses. He closed the car door and got back into the driver's seat. He started driving, the omega sniffling and silently crying into his lap in the passenger seat. He was never this emotional, there was definitely something wrong with him. "Tell me exactly how you feel." Katsuki ordered.

"I feel fine." He insisted although that lie clearly wouldn't pass anymore.

"Don't lie to me. Do you have a fever?"

"Just a little bit."

"Do you have a lot of pressure in the bridge of your nose and temples?"

"No."

That surprised Katsuki. His sinuses should be clogged if it's a cold. "How about your ears? Is you hearing muffled?"

"No."

"That's odd… Can you take a deep breath and completely stretch your lungs?"

The omega tried and succeeded. "Yeah."

'It's not a cold…' the alpha thought. 'Maybe a stomach bug?' "Tell me your symptoms."

"Sadness…rejection…disappointment" The boy mumbled, tears slipping onto his lap.

Normally, Katsuki would dismiss the boy as being dramatic but intensified emotions were a symptom of another condition: _heat_. Now that Katsuki thought about it, things started adding up. The nausea, fever, intense emotions, stomach ache, sweet smell, it all pointed towards an omega in preheat. He'd probably be getting migraines within the next few hours and by Monday or Tuesday, he'd be in heat. He drove back to the Midoriya's house as fast as he could and walked the omega up to the door. Thankfully, Inko answered the door and understood right away what was happening. She invited the two inside and sat them in the living room. As soon as he sat down, the omega cuddled into Katsuki. He needed Katsuki's warmth, his scent, and the physical contact. He rubbed against the alpha like a cat and soon, he was able to calm down enough to stop crying.

The alpha sat completely still, flustered and unsure. If this were normal Deku, he'd have pushed him off and told him to stop being so embarrassing but he knew he couldn't do that now. Deku was in a lot of discomfort and needed help. Katsuki just wasn't sure what kind of help he could give. Even though they were kind of a pair now, it didn't feel right spending a heat together. It was far too soon to be that intimate.

"M-Mrs. Midoriya, I have my car here, is there anything you need me to buy? I can run out and get it quickly. A heating pad? Pain killers?" He offered.

"Thank you, Katsuki, but I'll go get everything. I know which brands he likes best. Besides, I have to go book a hotel room for him." She said, slinging her purse onto her arm.

"Don't people normally do that online?" Katsuki asked.

"You can but most omegas feel more comfortable picking out their room in person so they can make sure it's in a good location and nothing's wrong with it. It's stressful to show up the day of the booking and find blood on the carpet or a weird smell lingering."

Katsuki had never considered that. He realized that, although he had read about heat in ten different medical textbooks, he still didn't fully understand the humanist side of it. "Oh… okay, well, I guess I should be on my way too then."

"Actually, would you mind staying with Izuku? I worry about him, you see."

"But…" That suggestion made Katsuki nervous.

"Don't worry, he won't go into full heat today. He may be emotional but he's still in his right mind." She said, glancing to the boy who was contentedly rubbing his chin and throat on the alpha to spread his scent. It felt like his scent glands itched and he could only scratch them on someone else.

"Okay." The alpha agreed with a nod. The woman left, leaving the two in silence. Izuku didn't seem to feel any of the alpha's awkwardness. After another minute or two of scenting, he felt relaxed. He leaned back on the sofa, his leg pressed against Katsuki's for just a bit of contact.

"I'm sorry…" the boy said. "I should have known that I would be coming into heat around now. I forgot my cycle."

Katsuki tried to play it cool. "It's whatever. Now you know."

"At least it's not during Christmas, right?" The optimist pointed out. "And now I know that if I have a baby in the future, it'll be an August baby. I've heard it's better to have a baby during the warm season."

The alpha blushed. It was hard to be cool when Deku said things like that. "Why are you so concerned with having a baby?"

"Hm? I don't know…" The omega looked down to his stomach and gently rubbed it. It was so flat. "Heat has a way of making you feel so lonely in your own body. Isn't that weird? It's always just been me in here, I have no reason to miss what I've never had, but I still do. I feel a little incomplete."

"You're not… you're not going to try to get pregnant this time, right?" He asked.

Now it was the omega's turn to blush. "N-no!" He looked to Katsuki. This alpha was handsome and strong and kind and _his_. Izuku didn't think he'd mind spending heat with this man. "Well… I don't think so… Katsuki, will you answer me honestly?"

"Depends on the question."

"Do you want to have sex with me?" He asked.

Katsuki felt his mind go numb after hearing that question. Did he hear that right? Who the hell would ask something like that!? "Wh-wh-what the hell are you even talking about!?"

"So… you don't like me in that way right now?" The omega clarified.

"Shut up, you fuck'n dork!"

"Are you just avoiding the question now?"

Katsuki fell silent.

"Kacchan… just tell me how you feel. I won't judge your answer. I'm just wondering if we should consider doing this together this time or not."

Katsuki let that proposal sink in. He'd had lewd thoughts about Izuku for a long time but did he actually want to have sex with him? Yes… _but not yet_. They'd only known each other for two weeks and they'd only confirmed their attraction for one another less than 24 hours ago. To jump in to sex at this point just to fulfil physical needs would sabotage what their first time was supposed to be like. He wanted to go slow. He wanted to kiss Izuku for a while and slowly work his way up to full intercourse over time. He wanted to build that trust and love between them. Other than producing offspring, giving your body was the most that anyone could physically give of themselves. It was special.

'Receiving Deku's whole body is an incredibly special and honored gift. I can't imagine how hard it is for an omega to allow themselves to be so vulnerable that they're willing to hand over their whole self to someone else. How am I supposed to show him that I'm truly grateful for that gift if I just take it in a moment of weakness while our relationship is so young? No… the first time should be a complete giving of self, not a quick fix to hormonal discomfort. As badly as I want it, this is too important.'

The alpha gently wrapped his hand around Deku's. This affectionate gesture did so much to ease the omega's discomfort. "Deku…" The blonde said, his voice low and smooth. "You know I'm not sappy so I'm not going to tell you how much you mean to me but just know… it's a lot… and that's why I can't stay with you this time."

"That doesn't make sense. If you like me that much, shouldn't you want this?" He really didn't understand the man's hesitation.

"It's not a matter of what I want, Idiot. I want a lot of things… and yeah, doing it now would feel good and give me some of the things I want but not everything. Can you honestly say that you completely love me right now?"

 _Completely?_ Deku wasn't sure about that. He trusted this alpha and he felt instinctually drawn to him but complete love was something that could only be formed with time. The love he felt right now was just a bud, destined to bloom into a beautiful flower when the time was right. Katsuki was right… it was too early for this. The omega looked down into his lap, ashamed for asking in the first place. Their relationship wasn't at that point yet.

The alpha noticed this slump in his demeanor and cupped the boy's cheek, bringing them face to face. He knew he had to be honest about what he felt. He couldn't hold back or the omega would continue to blame himself. "Deku… okay, listen, because I'm only going to say this once. I really like you and I want to have sex with you. I've wanted physical contact with you for a long time but you're too special to me. Your body isn't just a body… it's _your_ body and I'm going to keep working until I deserve to receive it. I can't treat it like it's not a big deal because, to me, you're the biggest deal. So let's wait until we can really give everything to each other."

Looking into those crimson eyes, the omega felt truly loved. Again, Katsuki proved to be the only person who truly knew him. How come this man could see value in the omega's body that even he didn't see? Until now, he'd seen his body as separate from his soul, like two separate parts working together. Katsuki treated them like two halves of a whole being. The omega turned his chin up, asking silently for a kiss. Katsuki understood the gesture and responded by gently wrapping his hands around the boy's waist and leaning into him, pressing their lips together again.

As the two mouths danced, the alpha's hands roamed Deku's back. Soon, he was distracted from the kiss, his attention on measuring the boy's body fat content with his fingertips. He ran them over Deku's spine and ribs, feeling how much better he'd gotten in just two weeks. He was still bony and there was considerable progress yet to be made.

The embarrassed omega broke the kiss. "What are you doing?" He asked in a little voice.

"Just taking survey." As a professional personal trainer, it was easy for Katsuki to measure the omega's body just by touch. He felt the size of muscles and the plushness of the fat.

"Please don't… It's embarrassing. I don't want to show you my body until it's a little better."

"It's fine how it is." Katsuki insisted.

"I read your books. Omegas are supposed to have nice, full, figures. That's what alphas want."

"Says who?"

"Whatever smart person wrote that book."

The alpha rolled his eyes. "I know which book you're talking about. That book is written from a strictly biological perspective, it doesn't take into account other important factors of attraction."

"Like what?"

"Like the fact that omegas have personalities along with bodies. I have a client at work with exactly the kind body that book is talking about. There's probably a photo of her in a few anatomy text books as the ideal biological specimen of an omega."

Deku pouted. "Are you telling me this just to make me upset?"

"Listen, would you? My point is that, according to that book, she's so perfect that I shouldn't be able to hold myself back as an alpha. Turns out, it's quite easy to hold myself back because she's a raging cunt. You'll never be able to learn to love a shit personality but bodies are constantly changing and we're constantly finding new ways to love them. Right now, you're skinny and I like you like this. Later, you'll gain some weight and I'll like that too. You'll eventually get old and fat and wrinkly and I'll still like your body because you're the one in it. "

Deku smiled a little bit. He knew it was silly but he liked hearing the alpha say that he was better than other omegas. It reaffirmed their bond and reassured Midoriya that this alpha was with him and no one else. "Easy for you to say, you're probably in a text book too. I bet you get hit on all the time at work."

The alpha smirked. "Is that jealousy I hear?"

"Don't let other omegas rub on you or bat their eyes at you!" The cute omega ordered.

"Okay, but in exchange, don't talk to any other alphas during your heat."

"I couldn't even if I wanted to, they make you leave your phone with the communication manager at the hotel."

"Huh? Why?"

"Omegas aren't themselves when they're in heat and one of the things you're paying for when you stay in a heat hotel is a service that keeps you from making stupid decisions. You're pretty much locked in a room with no connection to the outside world except a TV. Some nicer hotels will have specially controlled internet for the guests too but those are high luxury places. I'll probably bring some of my old university textbooks and try to refresh myself on the material."

Katsuki didn't like the sound of that. He wanted to be able to check up on the omega and make sure he was safe. "What if something bad happens? How are you supposed to get help?"

"There's a phone in the room that connects only to the front desk. They control who can go up to the rooms, when, and whether the doors unlock or not. If there's something I need to tell you or vice versa, I can send messages to you through the communication manager. Most hotels will do a few free messages a day."

The alpha grumbled in annoyance. He didn't like feeling like his omega was going to be put in jail but there was really no other way around it without heat-neutralizing drugs that often had a lot of risks associated for the omegas. He couldn't help but fear for the worst. Dangerous alphas always found ways to break into places like that. They would dress like custodians or pull fire alarms to make the doors automatically unlock. "Are you sure you'll be okay? I can figure out something else."

"This happens every year, Kacchan, I have a lot of practice. When I check in, I'll be allowed to give them the information of three people who can call asking about me so, whenever you want, you can call the front desk and they'll check on me for you. There's no reason to worry at all." The little omega rolled up Katsuki's sleeve and started rubbing their forearms for further scenting. This activity was most effective in relaxing omegas but it also worked on alphas. Katsuki felt his muscles loosening as Deku performed this ritual. "Do you have any plans for the week?"

"Not really. I'm starting with a new client tomorrow, someone famous I guess."

"Really? Who?"

"I dunno, I wasn't really paying attention when I got the call. The name sounded kinda like Yoga."

"Hmm." Deku thought about it for a while. He didn't have a great memory either. "Write me when you find out who it is, I might want an autograph."

"I'm not going to ask for an autograph. I have a good reputation because I don't give a shit about who my clients are, I just train them."

"Fine, but don't go liking any other omegas, okay?"

The alpha scoffed. "You got it." Deku was just jealous enough to be cute. Katsuki saw partners all the time who went through each other's text messages and browser histories like psychopaths. He didn't want that, he wanted trust between them.

"If someone starts making eyes at you or wagging their hips in your direction, you just say, 'Sorry, but I've already got an omega. Take it somewhere else'."

"So… you're my omega?" The man confirmed with a smirk.

"Aren't I?"

" _Mm-hm_." He'd been wanting to ask about that for so long. He slowly rested his arm on the sofa behind Deku's back and to his satisfaction, the boy leaned into it. His alpha pheromones kept the heat symptoms at bay until Inko came back home. Deku needed a hot bath to help with his cramping so Katsuki left but not before giving the boy his dirty gym shirt from his trunk. It was an odd gift but greatly appreciated. The scent on it worked better than any over the counter pain killer. They parted with a quick peck on the lips.

Katsuki knew it would be hard to be away from Deku for a week or longer with very restricted contact but once it was over, they would have a whole year together without worrying about that. He got home and looked through his emails to find the name of his new client because Deku seemed interested. He found it and texted the omega.

Katsuki: My new client is Himiko Toga. Have you heard of her?

Midoriya: Isn't that Cutie's real name? IS YOUR CLIENT CUTIE!?

Katsuki: Am I supposed to know what that means?

Midoriya: You can't seriously not know :0 She's a huge popstar.

Katsuki: Neat, I guess.

Midoriya: Don't fall in love with her!

Katsuki: Wasn't planning on it.

Midoriya: Seriously though, be careful. The press is always looking for rumor fuel.

Katsuki: I'll keep that in mind. Go take a nap.

Midoriya: I'm your omega.

Katsuki: I know. Goodnight.

Katsuki stayed at home the rest of the night, researching what heat is like for omegas. There was so much information and some of it was contradictory. In the end, he decided to text Ochako. She agreed to meet him after work for a coffee and conversation. Katsuki was well aware that there was still so much he didn't know about omegas. He needed an expert's help.

The next day, he had his breakfast and went to the gym like usual. He had a few regular appointments in the morning. He almost forgot about the new client until she showed up accompanied by a tall alpha and a beta woman. The girl wore messy buns in her icy blonde hair and a pink athletic leggings under a sports bra and jacket. She immediately shed the jacket when she walked in.

Katsuki narrowed his brows. His gut instinct was telling him that this client was trouble. "Are you Toga?" He asked.

The girl giggled. It kind of sounded fake. "Yeah, you probably know me as Cutie but you can call me Toga."

"Well, Toga, this gym's dress code requires the covering of the abdomen. Since you brought a jacket, that's not a problem, right?"

"I have to wear my jacket?" She confusedly looked back to the beta with her who shook her head. "My stylist chose this outfit specifically for this." The girl tried to explain. "It's just you and me so you can ignore that rule, right?"

"Actually, it's not just you and me which is another problem. Who are these people?"

"Mr. Dabi is my body guard and Mrs. Ashida is my personal coordinator." She said. Each of the onlookers offered him courteous bows which he did not reciprocate.

"They're not allowed in here."

"The omega before me had a guest." She pointed out.

"A guest? Are you talking about his baby?" Just how annoying could this client be?

"Look, the contract didn't say anything about not being allowed to bring my team with me."

The alpha sighed and massaged his temples in annoyance. "Okay. They can stay but the jacket has to go on."

"If I can get permission from management, I can leave it off, right?" She asked.

"Uh… I guess I can't stop you at that point."

"Said and done~" She chirped, pulling out her phone and sending a text to someone. Minutes later, a part-timer showed up and told Katsuki that the manager approved an exception to the dress code for Ms. Cutie. Just how much power did this petite blonde have? It unsettled the alpha.

Begrudgingly, he began the training session. He just wanted to get it over with now. As they worked, he would manually correct her form. He never gave much thought to touching omegas. He wasn't attracted to his clients and they knew that so it was never a problem. He was just doing his job. It was easier to just adjust someone's shoulders then try to explain the structure of muscle fibers.

It seemed that this client wasn't as casual about the whole thing. Katsuki picked up a wiff of something in the air during the session but ignored it until it became apparent that it was omega lust pheromones. It completely caught the alpha off guard. After that, he kept his hands on his hips and out of the way, hoping the problem would just go away. "Lower your hips." He ordered to the omega who was performing a plank with her rear lifted in the air. With another client, he wouldn't hesitate to keep his hand on their lower back and hold them flat but with this girl, he wanted a good three feet of distance between them at all times.

She dropped her hips so that she was just lying on the ground. "Oh, you're right! This is much easier~" She was well aware that she was performing the pose incorrectly but it never hurt to play stupid.

"I didn't mean to lay down. They should be in line with your shoulders." He corrected, glancing at his digital watch. Still twenty minutes. He wanted to hit his head against the wall.

"Show me?" She requested in an innocent voice. She had the kind of body that Deku was so jealous of. She had a petite frame but carried notable weight in her hips and breasts. Rather than putting his hands on the girl, he got down beside her and performed a perfect plank as an example.

"Notice how my hips are off the ground but my back is straight." He said.

"Wow! You make it look so easy!"

Before he knew it, there was a hand on his upper back. He quickly lost form, dropping down to his stomach before getting his knees under him. He gave the girl a dangerous look but it didn't startle her. She was looking for trouble to begin with and happy to get it now.

"Oh! Sorry, did I startle you? I was just really impressed. You have such great definition in your trapezius. I've been trying to shape up my back more because I have this backless dress that I'm going to wear to this year's music awards. Maybe you can help me with that too."

Katsuki didn't even try to fake a polite smile anymore. "Maybe I could recommend you to an omega trainer. I know a guy from university, Kirishima, and he works with a lot of other omegas. He's had celebrity clients before too."

"Katsuki… did I make you uncomfortable?" She sat on her side and shifted her shoulders in a way that showed off her chest. "I'm sorry… I mean, I'm in show biz so I've gotten comfortable being blunt."

"I have an omega." The alpha responded just like Deku had told him to.

"Huh? But you're not marked." She noted.

He flushed in frustration. "It's not something I want to talk about at work." What he really wanted to say was 'back the fuck off' but of course, he was at work and he wanted to keep his job.

"Then… let's talk about it somewhere else~" She suggested, leaning a little closer which prompted the alpha to scoot back. How did it end up that he was being intimidated by an omega half his size?

"No." The man answered bluntly.

For some reason, his rejections came off as playful banter to her rather than simple refusal. Maybe this game was so enduring to her because she was always surrounded by pleasers. Maybe the prospect of someone who really didn't care thrilled her, _challenged her_. "Are you worried about the press? I know how to stay low profile."

"I'm just your personal trainer, okay? And I'm serious, I do have an omega so let's keep this relationship strictly professional."

"Is your omega a fan of mine? Maybe they'd like to meet me~"

"I-I don't know if he listens to your music or not. Fifty sit ups." He said, forcing the conversation away from his omega.

"Hold my feet for me, okay?" She said, rolling onto her back.

The alpha begrudgingly kneeled at her feet and held them down flat. She requested to stretch once the exercises were over with as well and, of course, she wouldn't be satisfied until the alpha agreed to help her. Katsuki couldn't be more glad to leave work that day but little did he know, the manipulation and competitive drive that he saw in that one session was only the tip of the iceberg. There was a whole world of problems waiting for him now that he had become a pawn in this girl's game.


	8. Sacrifice

Katsuki walked from work to a café down the block where he met up with Ochaco. Izuku had already told her that he and Katsuki were a couple. The two omegas had gotten quite friendly.

This time like the last, the female omega's throat and forearms were covered by wool wrappings but they were hardly noticeable under her knit turtle neck. She made such a unique fashion choice look so casual.

The alpha bought her a drink before they sat down. It was only right to replay her a little for her time. "You look kind of bothered, Katsuki." The woman noticed right off the bat.

"It's just a work thing." He excused. He didn't want to tell her what was going on in case the word got back to Deku. He knew the boy would just worry and that was the last thing he needed while going into heat. "Where's that guy?" The alpha glanced around, expecting to see a navy-haired alpha glaring back at him.

"Do you mean my husband? He's at work."

"You came alone?"

She chuckled. "Because I dress like this, I look like one of those ultra-conservative types that can't leave the house without their alpha, right?" She practically read his mind. "Actually, I grew up in a community like that but that's not how Iida's and my relationship works. It's really difficult for alphas to let their omegas wander around where they can't see them or interact with other alphas but in a relationship, both parties have to give up some control to make it work."

Katsuki knew he had called the right person. It was obvious that this girl was an expert in relationships. He let out a deep breath, his muscles relaxing. It was relieving to see that there was someone he could talk to about these problems. "It seems impossible as an alpha to give my omega any freedom. I know that sounds awful, it feels awful to think like that but I really do want to watch him all the time and keep others away."

The girl didn't seem shocked or upset by his confession. She continued to smile sweetly. "For the rest of your life, you and Izuku are going to struggle with that. You see, an alpha naturally wants to protect an omega and an omega naturally wants to be protected by an alpha but there's a fine line between what's healthy and what's damaging. You've heard of omega fever, right?"

The alpha shook his head.

"When you're away from Izuku, you miss him, right? Specifically, you crave his scent. That's because your body is naturally a little addicted to his pheromones. It's an evolutionary trait that ensures that alphas keep their omegas close. Normally, this is manageable and it doesn't really cause any issues but when an alpha and omega never separate and the alpha has full control over the omega, that addiction can grow until the alpha becomes extremely possessive and a little insane, kind of like a stalker. Don't worry, you won't become like that just by living in the same house as each other, it takes a lot to get to that point, but there does have to be some distance and freedom in a relationship for it to stay healthy."

Katsuki remembered hearing a bit about that at university. He remembered watching a documentary about those clans out in the wilds of Africa that still lived like people did in the prehistoric times. Those alphas all had omega fever. To them, it was useful because of the constant danger they faced. If an alpha wasn't constantly with their omega, the omega could be killed by a wild animal or stolen by another clan. For most people on Earth, though, it was better to keep that to a minimum.

The girl continued her explanation. "Omegas have just as much on the line. They, of course, want freedom too. It's essential for them for them to build up a sense of self efficacy and independence. Imagine how depressing it would be to sit at home alone all day and wait for your alpha for hours and hours. It makes you feel more like a pet than a person. The other side of that coin it that an omega has the same desire to be with their alpha and can suffer a lot of phycological repercussions for being separated from their alpha."

"Like what?"

"If they're still seeing their alpha a few times a week, they could end up suffering anything from mild sadness to full depression depending on the omega. The real danger comes from no contact at all for longer periods of time. Firstly, they would go into a starved state where the mental symptoms become physical. They might get a fever and feel weak. There's no perfect timeline. For some omegas, this could happen after a month and for others, after a year. If the alpha doesn't return, the starved state could get so bad that the omega has to be hospitalized and medicated to be able to recover." The girl noticed how pale the alpha across from her looked.

"D-don't worry!" She assured. "This only applies to mated omegas. Izuku will miss you but he won't go into a starved state or anything, I promise. The worst an unmated omega could deal with is drop."

Katsuki was familiar with that term. After sex, especially after heat mating, the omega needs the alpha around or else they get drop which is pretty much a depressive state that sometimes causes a miscarriage. After sex, the alpha has to stay right beside the omega for an hour or two to make sure the omega recovers safely. There were plenty of sad stories of young alphas who get tricked into sleeping with their "boyfriends" only to be abandoned right after and suffer drop.

"Sorry, that got kind of depressing, didn't it?" The girl gave the alpha an apologetic smile.

The alpha shook his head. "It's okay. That's the kind of thing I wanted to learn about. I want to be a good alpha."

"Oh, then I'm glad I could help. Since I told you something you wanted to know, then you have to do the same for me, okay?" The omega took a sip of her tea. "Why do you smell like omega lust pheromones?" She asked. Her voice had changed from sweet and light-hearted to serious. It was clear that she cared a great deal about the freckled greenette.

Katsuki blushed in frustration and embarrassment. He had to tell the truth now, he couldn't let her go on thinking that he had done something stupid because there was a chance that Deku could get the wrong impression too. He explained to her about the new client who didn't seem to like the word 'no'.

Ochaco listened patiently, her eyebrows knitting as the story continued. "So what are you going to do about that?" She asked at the end.

"I don't know… ignore it? It's just work, it's obviously not personal or anything."

"I don't think an omega like that will accept being ignored." She pointed out. "If Izuku was sitting there in the room during that training session, what would he ask you to do?"

"Drop the client." He responded, a twinge of guilt settling in his stomach like a stone. Ochaco was going to be a wonderful mother, she was never fooled. She saw through everyone.

She nodded. "It's not my place to tell you what to do but I do know this- If you want Izuku to trust you, you have to show him that you're deserving of his trust. You have to do the right thing without being asked."

The alpha nodded, embarrassed and frustrated. Ochaco, of course, read his mind loud and clear. "You know, I've been texting Izuku and I know that it was your decision not to spend heat with him. That was a really tough decision but I know it meant a lot to him. Izuku is precious and you showed him that." She said, watching as her compliment boosted his ego.

"What does an omega want in an alpha?" The man asked.

"It depends on the omega, of course, but most of us want to be loved more than anything else. It's an omega's most innate desire. That being said, there are other factors that influence omega attraction. Omegas are attracted to strength because it assures them that the alpha will be able to keep them safe. Dominance plays a role, too. Not all omegas want a hyper-dominant, controlling, alpha but most of us are attracted to alphas who are able to lead and control when the situation calls for it. You'll notice that when an alpha tries to dominate an unwilling omega, the omega will become scared or try to run. If the alpha dominates an omega they have a bond with, the omega will submit and that submission will actually feel good for the omega."

"It… feels _good_ to submit?" As an alpha, that didn't make a lot of sense to him.

"To the right person, yes. It takes a lot of trust to be vulnerable to another person like that so it's difficult for an omega but if they find someone who they're comfortable putting their trust in, then submitting is the most relaxing thing in the world. Imagine if you were alone on a secluded island with no other alphas around and no dangerous animals. You would be able to just lean back and actually, truly, not worry about anything. When an omega fully trusts an alpha and lets them take control, that's what it feels like."

Katsuki considered that. He'd never learned about relationships like this in school. "So I should act more dominant with him?"

"As long as the time and mood are right. Don't just give him an alpha command while you're out getting groceries unless you absolutely have to. It's far more difficult to completely submit in public and he's likely not really in the mood for that either. I always find it most satisfying to receive alpha commands when I'm alone with my husband at home because that's the most comfortable place for me. Also, you shouldn't use alpha commands to initiate any intimate act. If you have a bond with the omega, they'll comply but, in the end, it's damaging to the relationship because sex becomes something that only happens when the alpha demands it rather than when one party suggests and the other accepts."

"How…" He began but stopped, embarrassed of his question.

"How does one give an alpha command?" She guessed with a little giggle. "I've never given one obviously but Iida says it's like using another language that you were born knowing. Practice it with Izuku, he'll tell you when you've done it right. The omega feels an almost undeniable urge to comply and their head goes a little foggy."

"How can I know that he actually wants to follow the command? It seems like I'm forcing him."

"There may be a time when he doesn't want to follow the command but you have to give it anyways. The first time I ever received an alpha command from Iida, he forced me to do something I truly didn't want to do." She looked into the alpha's crimson eyes and sensed his curiosity so she went ahead and told her story. "Have you heard of a group called Intent? It's a group of people who hold very traditional views and they seclude themselves almost entirely from the world to live the kind of life they want. I was born in that group and lived there until I was fifteen.

It was beautiful in a way. I knew absolutely everyone and all the children were like brothers and sisters to each other. I spend every waking moment with my family and my life was simple. I would spend my whole day cooking, cleaning, and knitting with my sisters. We had so much fun. When bad things happened, I didn't realize that they were bad because it seemed normal to me. I saw omegas put in these little concrete cages as punishment when they broke a dish or forgot one of their duties. I saw children beaten by their parents for being too rowdy or for the slightest disobedience. These things looked normal. I didn't even think it was wrong when I was given to my husband at the age of twelve when I had my first heat.

That man was twenty-four when I was given to him. It was decided by my parents, not me. He was my uncle's son on my mother's side. We had grown up together." Surprisingly, Ochaco didn't cry or hesitate as she spoke. She seemed at peace with the story. "I failed to get pregnant my first heat. It was my purpose as an omega yet I failed right off the bat. My husband was kind and he said that we'd try again the next year. When I was thirteen, I failed again. We had taken every precautionary measure but I still couldn't get pregnant. Despite that, something good also happened that year. My husband got a job outside the community. A flood had destroyed nearly half of the communal farm land so some men had to leave the community to work until it was repaired.

He went to work in a shop that repaired vacuums, televisions, and sewing machines. He's been repairing sewing machines and farm equipment his whole life so it was an easy job for him. My relationship with him wasn't great because of my infertility so one day, I decided to start bringing him lunch at work so he would like me and keep me as his wife. An omega that was abandoned by their alpha was completely useless and unloved in my community. There was only one other omega who couldn't have children in the community. He was made to take care of the sheep and goats. He slept in the barn with them, no one spoke to him, and he never attended a holiday event. I didn't want that. I would make lunch for my husband at home then walk an hour each way to deliver it to him at work. That's where I met Iida.

He was only seventeen at the time and he worked at the shop with my husband, making extra money to save up for college. When I dropped off my husband's lunch, sometimes he would eat in the back so he could continue working or he would be out buying parts. When he wasn't around, I got to chat with the young alpha behind the counter. I was always taught that people outside the community were addicted to sex and drugs, that they could speak only in lies, that they abused each other and knew no morals other than self-gratification. Iida soon made me believe that I had learned wrong.

He was always nice to me. He listened when I spoke as if my voice mattered as much as my uterus. I never told him that the man I was visiting was my husband, only my cousin. I knew that family marriage wasn't acceptable in the outside world but I didn't realize why until I saw through Iida what a family was supposed to be. A family didn't beat each other or lock each other up. I began to understand that my life wasn't what it was supposed to be. I trusted Iida. I grew to love him in ways that I never loved my husband. I looked forward to going to the shop not because I was trying to gain my husband's favor but because I had a friend there who treated me with respect and told me stories.

In my fourteenth year, I didn't get pregnant. My husband told me it was the last time that he'd forgive me. He made me do everything possible to increase my fertility. I drank nothing but raspberry tea, I stopped eating meat, I did everything I could but when I turned fifteen and had my heat again, there was still no pregnancy. My husband was furious. He thought that I was purposely eating papaya seeds to kill the fetus or that I couldn't conceive because I was thinking impure thoughts. I spent four days in a concrete cage with hardly any daylight or food. When I got out of the cage, my husband cleared the impure thoughts from my head by beating me until I forgot even my name.

I didn't see Iida for two weeks because I was laying in bed, fighting to live through the injuries. My husband acted like nothing happened after that. In his mind, it was something he had to do to expel the evil in me. It was for my good, an act of love. I went to the shop on my husband's last day there. The fields were finally fertile again and ready for seeding. I didn't bring lunch, just myself. I wanted to talk to my friend. I had been so broken and I longed for the one person who made me feel safe and loved. I cried and told him everything. I told him that my cousin was also my husband and also the man who broke my rib and collarbone with an apathetic expression. I told him about the dark cage, the constant fear, the hopelessness and pain.

He asked me to come with him. He said he had his car outside and we would just get in it and go. He had a friend on the other side of the country and we could go live with him. He promised to take care of me. He promised that no one would hit me and that I would live a comfortable life. Although I loved him, I refused. The outside world terrified me. All I had ever known was my community. I had been told everyday that my life was to dedicated to my alpha and my children. I knew no other life. That's when he used an alpha command on me. He put down his things, picked up his bag, and said, " _Omega, come_ ".

My body obeyed even though I was crying and begging him not to take me away. I couldn't stop it. My body had chosen to submit to him even when my mind didn't agree. It was hard at first. I hated him for forcing me to go with him. I had lost all trust in him. I saw him as my kidnapper but he was patient with me. He never asked me to be his omega or kissed me even though he had come to love me. He took me outside little by little. We went to the park every Sunday and the grocery store every Wednesday. He brought me books, games, toys, anything to show me what the real world was like. He even postponed going to college so he could provide for me. It took me a year to fully realize that he was my true mate and that his decision had saved me.

My heat in my sixteenth year was much like what you're going through with Izuku right now. I had just expected that Iida was going to spend it with me, I'd never heard of another option, but he chose not to. Like you, he saw that it wasn't time, that my body was special and that the best way to love me then was by sacrificing. I never felt more free than during that heat. For the first time, there was nothing to gain from my heat. It belonged to me. My body was mine, not a tool of reproduction. There would be no punishment, no guilt, no inadequacy. I would be the same person after the heat as I was before. It may be difficult for you and Izuku to be apart right now but trust me, what you're giving him is worth much more than quick physical satisfaction. You're showing him that you don't see him as a tool but as a person and that you care about how that person is treated."

The girl took a deep breath and smiled softly, rubbing her belly tenderly. "I spent the next heat with Iida and I got pregnant on the first try. Carrying a child no longer felt like something I _had_ to do but something I _got_ to do. Being an omega isn't a profession to me anymore, it's a privilege because I now see how special it is to be in an alpha-omega relationship with someone you love." She giggled. "Wow, that was a long story for a short question, wasn't it?"

"No, it's okay." Katsuki mumbled. Her story was completely humbling. It made him want to love Deku twice as much. He wanted to give anything and everything for his omega. After seeing how much they sacrificed to be together, it made him feel stupid about hesitating to drop Toga as a client. It was an easy thing to do if I meant earning Deku's trust. "I have to make a call." He announced.

Ochaco smiled. "Okay. Send Izuku my best wishes, would you?"

"Yeah, sure. Look… thanks for meeting me today." He wanted to say more. He wanted to say 'I've learned so much from you. You're so brave. Your story makes me want to love better' but this was too much for him. He couldn't just speak his mind, he didn't know how to.

"Of course. Let's do this again sometime, alright?"

He nodded. "Is there somewhere you want me to drop you off? I can go fetch my car." Katsuki had never been nice to anyone before Deku and now here he was, offering a ride to an omega who wasn't his.

"No, that's fine. I'm going to meet up with some friends around the corner in just a bit."

"Okay. Text or call if you… like, need me to fuck someone up, okay?" This was his best attempt at telling the little omega that they were friends now. "If someone gives you trouble, I'll take care of it."

She chuckled again. "Thank you, Katsuki, but I've got my alpha for that. Thank me by taking care of Izuku with everything you've got, okay?"

The alpha thanked her one more time before walking back to the gym and driving home. He called Izuku on the drive. He wanted to talk to him before anyone else. The boy picked up and at once, that sweet voice filling the alpha's ears. "Hey, Kacchan!" He greeted.

"Hey, Deku." The man responded, wearing a smile. "You haven't left for the hotel yet?"

"No, I'm packing up right now and I'm going to have dinner at home before I go."

"It's your last dinner before internment, shouldn't you make more of a show of it?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean let me take you to dinner. We'll go anywhere you want and I'll drop you off at the hotel afterwards."

"Kacchan… I'm kind of…"

"Kind of what?"

" _Impaired_. I'm less like myself. I don't want you to see me like this."

"Deku… it's okay. I know your hormones are messing with you, I won't hold that against you."

"I might do something embarrassing…"

"I won't let you make a mistake, I promise."

"Katsuki… I really like you." The boy confessed. The alpha blushed.

"Yeah…" He cleared his throat. "I… I like you too." He admitted.

"Can you pick me up around six?"

"I'll be there."

"Can't wait."

"See you then."

"Bye."

Katsuki hung up and dialed the gym's manager. "Hey, Bakugo, what's up?" The man answered.

"That new client today, Toga, I was calling to ask you to move her to a different trainer."

"Huh? Why? Is there a problem?"

Katsuki was not an eloquent speaker. Thankfully, the manager already knew this about him and could decipher true meaning from the alpha's hostile grumblings. "Because she's weird, that's why. She was bugging me. First with the shirt thing then with having people in the room. You really hung me out to dry there by taking her side, you know that?"

"Yes, I know, Bakugo, but I didn't have much of an option. She's a hugely influential individual. I got a call from the chairman of MJ Studios and he wasn't polite. I can't fight that sort of power, they could pull clients from us with the snap of their fingers."

"Well at least move her to a different trainer." He insisted.

"She requested you by name, Bakugo. Celebrities are picky about these sorts of things, you know? They want someone who's going to look good in their photos and-"

"Whoa whoa whoa!" The alpha interrupted. "Photos? No, I never gave consent to be in photos."

"When you signed the contract-"

The angry alpha cut him off again. "That contract stipulates that I agree to be in photos taken by the company and used only in corporate promotions. That does not mean that I will a prop on some brat's Instagram story!"

"Calm down, Katsuki! What's the big deal? Fighting this will be a hundred times more trouble than it's worth."

"It's a big deal to me! You know how fans and reporters can invent stories and ruin people's lives. I have an omega now, I don't want him to see newspaper headlines claiming I'm having an affair with some crazy pop star."

"Those are just tabloids! They also claim that the president is secretly a space lizard, no one takes them seriously."

"I don't care, I don't want them to exist at all." Deku deserved better than having to feel anxious or embarrassed about their relationship. "It's not just the tabloids either, she'll start the rumors herself. During the session she was releasing lust pheromones and getting too close to me. She's a trouble client. She'll make trouble for me, this gym and you so if you want to keep your sorry ass safe, you better find a way to get her an omega coach."

"Okay, okay…" Katsuki heard the man give a deep sigh. "I was warned about that… she seems to have a reputation for being a little… _playful_."

That enraged the alpha who pulled up to this driveway and slammed the car door after getting out. The manager had known how crazy the girl was and still but her with him. "Playful!? How about you play with my balls, dick face!" He cursed. The manager was used to language like this from his employee.

"Okay, I'm going to talk to Ms. Himiko's manager and we'll set up some guidelines."

" _Guidelines?_ "

"We'll make sure she understands that she can't touch an employee and I'll make sure you get to approve any photos taken during the sessions."

"I swear to God, Haru, if you don't move her to another trainer, I'll quit." Katsuki threatened.

There was silence on the other end for a minute. "You don't mean that."

"I _sincerely_ mean that."

"Why do you have to put me in a tough spot like this, Bakugo!? You've never been so sensitive about this stuff before! I know for a fact the omega trainers hit on you and clients have flirted with you before. I thought you were the type who just shrugged it off so why is it so different this time!?"

"There's more consequences this time!" The blonde barked. "This girl is crazy and she's got a whole arsenal of drama at her disposal! I have an omega now so I can't just put up with other people's shit anymore."

"Fuck you, Bakugo…" The man growled. "Okay… here's what we'll do. I'll talk to Ms. Toga's manager. I'll kiss his ass like crazy and see if we can get her moved to another trainer." As frustrated as he was, he knew he couldn't lose Katsuki. If Katsuki left, the gym would lose some of their wealthiest clients and their reputation as a safe place for omegas.

"Thank you." The alpha took a deep breath and began to relax.

"And Bakugo? I want you to know something. You are an irreplaceable asset to me and if I could, I would punch you in the face right now. Several times."

Katsuki snickered. "Do this for me and we'll be back to sunshine and rainbows, alright?" Katsuki had a pretty good relationship with his manager despite the fact that they sometimes wanted to kill each other.

"Do me a favor and fuck yourself with a cactus tonight."

"Bye." He hung up the phone and hopped in the shower. He washed himself well to make sure there were no omega pheromones on him anymore then dressed nicely. He wanted to be a good alpha, the _perfect_ alpha, the alpha that Deku deserved. When the time came, he drove to the Midoriya house but not before picking up a bouquet of flowers. He was changed by his meeting with Ochaco.

His omega was perfect and deserved everything. He wanted to give him everything. He wanted to make sure the boy knew that he was special and loved. Still, it was difficult for him to act like this. He wasn't used to being all lovey dovey. It felt too vulnerable to him but he reminded himself that, as an omega, Deku had to constantly be vulnerable to him so he could at least try to do the same every once in a while.

He knocked on the front door. He heard the boy calling out to his parents, "That's for me, I got it!" The little greenette opened the door, wearing his usual smile. His eyes widened and his cheeks flushed as he looked over the alpha. "Kacchan, you look nice." He noted. He'd never seen the man put much of an effort into how he dressed.

The omega was dressed in casual clothes. He wore a multicolor retro sweater over jeans. He looked more like himself than when he wore the clothes Todoroki bought him. Although Katsuki was flustered with embarrassment, he gave a small smile. The omega looked really cute. "I want you to remember me well, after all."

The boy chuckled. "You might be a little over dressed for the place I've chosen." He said.

"Fuck." The alpha mumbled, diverting his gaze as his whole face flushed cherry red. He tried to be extra nice for Deku and now he was overdressed. He knew this was a bad idea.

Izuku smiled and pulled the man closer by the collar of his jacket. "I'm not complaining, though."

When Katsuki was brought closer, he noticed the flesh-colored patches on the sides of the boy's throat. Pheromone blockers. He could only imagine how much sweeter the omega's scent had gotten. He leaned in and kissed the boy tenderly once then twice, stopping when he heard a man's voice coming from inside the house. "Izuku, which bag are you taking with you? The red one or the duffle bag?" Toshinori called from the boy's bedroom.

Deku blushed and chuckled. He was hoping that he'd move back in with Katsuki soon so they wouldn't always be interrupted. He loved his family and was glad to be reunited with them but now, after meeting Katsuki, there was a strong desire to have his own nest. "Both, Dad!" The boy answered.

Katsuki went inside and took up the bags. Toshinori sized up the man, making note of his clothing. "I take it you're dating Izuku now?" He asked with his arms crossed.

The alpha not, faking confidence. "Yes."

Toshinori took a long sigh, the smaller alpha waiting through the silence before the man finally responded. "Don't cause trouble, alright?"

"I won't." Katsuki assured and that was the end of the conversation. He respected the other alpha but he wasn't completely comfortable around him. After all, he was Deku's previous alpha. He was the one who took care of the boy and protected him and chased off lurchers. Now he was being told to break that bond so the omega could have a new alpha. It must be difficult for him.

Deku said a long good bye to his parents. He promised to send them a message as soon as he was checked in. They both scented him so that their love stuck with him on his clothes. He kissed them each one last time before going with the alpha out to his black Ferrari. They put the bags in the trunk and as soon as the omega got in, a bouquet of flowers were placed on his lap. The alpha drove as if nothing had happened.

Surprised, Izuku picked up the flowers and looked at them before looking to his alpha. "Did you… get these for me?" He asked.

The man blushed but didn't respond.

"You're dressed so nice, you brought me flowers… who are you and what have you done with my Kacchan?" He teased with a little smile.

"Don't make a big deal about it." The alpha grumbled, back to his usual cold demeanor.

Deku happily sniffed the flowers. Katsuki's intentions were met tenfold. The boy was brimming with effervescent affection. If he hadn't been wearing the patches, the Ferrari would have been fumigated with the omega's happy pheromones. "Thank you."

"Where are we going to?" The alpha asked.

"You know that park right by the aquarium and art gallery?"

"Yeah."

"I want to go there."

"You want to have your special dinner… in the park? Like bums?"

"You said I could choose." The omega pointed out.

The blonde rolled his eyes and sighed. How did he fall so hard for someone so stupid? "You wanna have a hobo dinner in the park? Cool. I'll light a fire in a trashcan and you stir the can of soup with a twig."

Deku chuckled. He never really got mad at the alpha or offended by his jokes. He understood Katsuki. "Hey Kacchan? When this is over and I'm ready to come back home… can I come back home?"

"Huh? Which home?"

" _Home_." To Deku, there was only one that was his home. He felt like a guest at his parents' place. He wanted _his_ home back, his Katsuki.

Katsuki's heart swelled with warmth. "Yeah… It's not the same without you."

"Can I redecorate?"

"Get over it, weirdo. The house if fine how it is."

"It's all grey scale! There's no color!"

"What? I thought my house was red and green." The alpha joked, making the boy laugh. That's all he wanted- to hear his omega laugh. He parked along the street beside the park. Deku loved the flowers but he chose to leave them in the car so they would live longer. He wanted to look at them everyday while they were apart.

Instead of grabbing Katsuki's sleeve, Deku pressed their palms together and wove their fingers into one another's. He led the pair around the park, looking at public sculptures and stopping at a food truck for hot kabobs. The boy kicked chunks of snow playfully as they walked and told the alpha how he planned to do a lot of reading and writing during his stay at the hotel.

Katsuki stopped at a bench when the boy started to seem tired and he dusted the snow off of it so Deku could sit down. "How was your new client? That was today, right?" The boy asked.

"Annoying. I asked my manager to move her to a different trainer."

"Really? Well, I guess celebrities can be like that, right? What happened?"

"Nothing, Deku. She just felt entitled to everything and assumed the rules didn't apply to her. I can't work with someone like that."

Deku traced his pointer finger over the crevices on the alpha's palm. "I… I don't have anything to worry about, right?" There was a twinge of anxiety in his voice.

Katsuki pulled the omega's head close and softly kissed his forehead. "Not at all. You can trust me. I only have one omega."

That made Izuku smile. "I do trust you. I won't ask about it again." He promised, showing the alpha his complete trust. It was difficult to be so trusting but he knew Katsuki wouldn't let him down.

"Are you going to be okay for the next week?" He asked, his voice low and smooth.

"Yeah. It'll be like a vacation." He said, forcing himself to be optimistic. "How about you? Will you be okay?"

The alpha nodded. "It's just a week."

"I'll message you every day."

"You better."

"Or what?" The boy chuckled.

"I'll be so furious that I'll kick your ass the second you check out."

The omega burst into laughter. "Hey… I just want one thing before you drop me off."

"What is it?"

"A kiss that's so good that I'll remember it for a whole week."

The alpha flushed. "W-we're in public, Idiot."

"They don't know who we are, they won't care. I bet people bang in the bushes all the time, we might as well we a couple of priests reading scripture."

The alpha was still unsure. "Deku…"

"Please?"

The alpha huffed and finally agreed. He slowly took both of the boy's cheeks and looked into his eyes deeply. "In exchange, I need you to promise me that you're going to be safe."

The omega nodded softly. "I promise."

"I'll kill anyone who touches you, Deku."

"I know, _Alpha_."

The way he so sweetly used Katsuki's title filled the man with a strong desire to dominate the boy. He felt his next words bubble in his throat and slip off his tongue with a subtle growl. "Close your eyes." He ordered.

Midoriya's eyes flickered shut without the boy even thinking about it. His head felt clouded and his omegan instincts shut off his ability to disobey. So this was an alpha command. It felt nice.

The blonde leaned in and softly licked the boy's bottom lip. It was the taste he had been craving. With that confirmation, he pressed their lips together and kissed him slowly, each movement heavy with passion. The omega completely submitted, his lips following the alpha's lead. When he felt a warm tongue press against his teeth, he opened his mouth and welcomed it in without a second thought. This was his alpha. Whatever Katsuki gave, Izuku would happily receive.

His tongue hungrily roamed the omega's mouth, finding every detail and running over it a hundred times until it was burned into the alpha's memory. He knew each hill and valley of the boy's molars, he knew how his tongue tasted, he knew how his purrs sounded. When he finally broke the kiss, both parties were short of breath and cloudy-headed. It was the perfect time for temptation to set in. "Kacchan…" The omega purred. "You don't want to bring me to that hotel…"

"I do." The alpha lied. He knew he'd be tested like this, he had to stay strong. He reminded himself over and over of Ochaco's story.

"Let's go back to the car… we can help each other."

"Deku, I promised you that nothing would happen tonight and I meant it."

The boy whimpered in the cutest way. "Why not? It's just sex…"

"Because it's not just sex… _it's you_. Sex with you is never going to be 'just sex'. I could get a prostitute for that, that's how insignificant it is. With you… I'm selfish. I want more. I want your body, your soul, your heart, everything. That's why it's not going to happen tonight."

The alpha's words sobered up the hormonal omega. "Sorry… I'm sorry, Kacchan, you're right… my head got away from me."

"Shhh, it's okay. It never happened." He held the boy's cheek and ran his thumb over the soft skin lovingly.

"Kacchan… remembered when you asked me if I could love you completely? When you asked that, I wasn't sure but now I am. I'm not trying to bargain anymore, I promise. I know I'm going to the hotel tonight, I'm not trying to change that… I just want to tell you because you've given me so much and I want to give you something too… Kacchan… I do love you. I haven't given you all of my love yet, that can only be given in time but right now… _I do love you_."

The alpha listened to those words and knew that everything was going to be okay. The week would pass and they would be together again, it was going to be okay because his omega loved him. He leaned in against the boy's ear and unashamedly confessed " _I love you too_."

They went to the hotel together, peace and understanding between them. The both wanted to just pull over the car and take care of their needs right there on the side of the street but they both also knew that they wanted more than that. They wanted it at home, unrushed, full of love, unimpeded by the chaos of heat.

Katsuki demanded to see Deku's room beforehand so a security guard accompanied him as he checked to make sure all locks were functioning and there were no imperfections. It was hard to let go. They both wanted to stay in each other's arms but they knew that a week of waiting was a small sacrifice for the perfect first time. They parted with a kiss and Katsuki drove himself home, Deku's confession ringing in his ears endlessly.

" _I do love you_."


	9. Desire

Deku stood in the middle of his hotel room, clutching the bouquet of flowers that his alpha had given him as the door closed and the lock clicked into place. It was unsettling. It was so quiet and he was so alone. His clutch on the bouquet tightened. He wished he could call Katsuki and have the alpha comfort him but that wasn't an option. He took a deep breath.

'I can do this' He assured himself. 'I'm not a kid, I'm a grown alpha who can deal with their heat like an adult.' He looked around the room, making himself familiar with his temporary home. It was a nice place. The room was big enough for him to pace about, he had his own restroom, a big bed, and a desk. He called the communications manager from the phone in his room and asked her to notify his mother and his alpha that he was settled in. After that, he unpacked his bags and tore off the pheromone patches on his throat. Immediately, he was assaulted with the scent of his own happiness, lust, and anxiety.

The omega flopped down on the bed and stared at the ceiling, unsure of what to do until the room's phone rang. He picked it up immediately. "Yes?"

"Hello, Mr. Midoriya. This is Momo from the communication department. I have a voicemail for you from Mr. Bakugo Katsuki in response to your message. Shall I play it for you?"

"Oh! Wow, that was fast. Y-yeah, please. I'd like to hear it." He knew they'd never send through something lewd so it didn't embarrass him to have someone else hear it.

There was a crinkle of static before the familiar alpha's voice played through the phone. "Hey Deku. Take it easy for the next few days, okay? When you get home, I'll let you redecorate the kitchen. I know you had your heart set on a total home makeover like that TV show you like but let's get just take it one room at a time, okay? So uh… I… I miss you. That's all. Take care. " The message ended. Deku thanked the woman and hung up the phone.

Deku chuckled, knowing how red Katsuki's face must have been when he admitted that. He was completely amazed by the alpha. Katsuki hated saying lovey-dovey things like that but he did anyways because he knew how important it was to Izuku. The alpha seemed so cold and mean but once you got to know him, you saw how sweet he was.

'He even dressed up for me and brought me flowers today' The omega thought. "Does anyone else get to see Katsuki like that? Was it just for me? He looked so good… it makes me want to look nice for him too. I wonder what he'd like to see me wear. Does he have a preference for fashion at all? Exercise seems to be important to him so maybe he'd be interested in seeing me in athletic wear. Then again… it would show off parts of my body that I don't like. I guess it would be okay if it were just for him.'

Deku tried to imagine it. He pictured Katsuki coming home to find the omega lounging around in spandex pants and a tank top, trying to act casual. 'Come to think of it… I don't have any nice underwear. I have the same briefs I bought in high school and they're so lame. I should ask Ochaco to go shopping with me, she would know what to buy. Would Katsuki like spandex? Or maybe lace?" That thought tingled down the omega's spine. How would lace feel against his skin? How would it feel when it was the only barrier between their warm bodies?

Izuku shuddered, a little excitement building in him. His instincts pushed his mind to wander more and feed the lust. 'He must be so tired after a long day of work… he'll come home physically and mentally worn-out, his skin and clothes covered in dry sweat.' The boy quickly slipped off the bed and fetched what he wanted from his bag: Katsuki's shirt and a six-inch-long rubber penis. He kind of felt bad about having such a thing when he had an alpha. It felt a bit like cheating but what was he supposed to do when he was in heat and his alpha was withholding the real thing? He knew Katsuki would understand. He needed satisfaction and during heat, his fingers just didn't suffice.

The boy slipped out of his pants and got back into the bed. He sniffed all the sheets to ensure there were no threatening scents on them before arranging the blankets exactly how he wanted. When he was content, he settled in, his belly churning with expectation. He closed his eyes and continued his fantasy.

The omega imagined posing himself casually on the couch in front of his tired alpha. He knew he could take care of the man, he could help him relieve stress in the most satisfying way. He imagined laying on his stomach with his hips up invitingly. "Welcome home, Alpha~" He'd say, making his intentions clear.

Deku held the shirt to his nose as he continued to unleash his hormone-inundated imagination. He though of the blonde growling when those omega lust pheromones hit his nose. The growl made Deku's whole body tingle with electricity. He bit his bottom lip, looking just the right amount of submissive as he wiggled his hips, a blatant reminder of what he was offering. Deku knew that, for his first time, he wanted slow kisses and tender hands but, in his fantasy, that didn't matter. In his fantasy, he wanted cock. He wanted his alpha to pant, to dig his grip into his hips, to bite at his back and growl against his ear.

The boys' hips and legs writhed in the hotel bed even though he hadn't touched himself there yet. He pictured the sweet-smelling alpha roughly grabbing his hips, punishing him for the teasing. "How long were you waiting for me like that?" That gravelly voice asked.

The omega purred, his body complying to the alpha's touch. "Too long~"

The alpha got onto the couch, his body heavy against Deku's back. "I bet you already got started, didn't you?"

"Yes." He admitted. He knew he'd be getting what he wanted soon. The boy rubbed the toy against his ass through his underwear in just the same way that he imagined his alpha would grind into him teasingly. He whimpered aloud.

"Did you think of me, Omega?" He could perfectly picture the sharp red eyes and dominant smirk of his lover. "Did you think of my cock when you fingered yourself? _Tell me_."

Deku whined again. The walls of the hotel room were well sound-proofed. He had no doubt that at least half of the residents were doing the same thing as him. "Yes, Alpha…"

The man snickered. "Aww, so cute~ I bet it wasn't enough, was it? A few fingers just can't fuck you as good as an alpha cock, can they? Is that what you want? An alpha cock?"

Deku rocked his hips needily up against the alpha. He felt the warm, hard, erection pressing between his ass cheeks. "It wasn't enough. I need you… I need all of you. Nothing else satisfies me like your cock, Katsuki." He fed the alpha his dirty words, knowing the man would devour them ravenously.

In response, the man tore down the little athletic shorts, not caring whether he broke a seam. Deku removed his briefs, rubbing the tip of his pointer finger over the hot, slick-covered, hole. The slippery liquid was proof that his body was ready to accept. He lined up the head of his toy and pushed it in. He could accept the first inch or two easily but as he continued to push the length in, tears prickled at the corners of his eyes. He mentally called out to the blonde alpha. "F-fuck! Keep going, I don't care if it hurts, Alpha. Just give it to me. I've been empty all day, you made me wait long enough. Keep going, I can take it."

As promised, his body successfully swallowed the whole toy down to the hilt. Deku could only imagine how much more satisfying that feeling would be with a cock that pulsed and twitched warmly inside him. Yes, he wanted that connection with a living body, with Katsuki's body. He groaned heavily into his pillow. He imagined the alpha's teeth sinking into his back possessively, holding him in place so he could fuck him how he wanted to. Izuku wanted to be so small under his alpha, so pliable and accepting. "I'm yours." He reminded over and over and over again.

He imagined the alpha's muscled hips curling in against his own in a smooth pattern as he did the same with the dildo, thrusting it slowly in increments of only a few inches while he body learned to loosen up. "I would ask you if that feels good but judging by on the way your ass is pulling me in, I'd say you're not getting enough."

To Deku, it already felt like more than enough but he knew his heat wouldn't be sated with just some light ass play. His instincts were always demanding more, demanding that he fuck himself until his eyes rolled back and he mumbled incoherently so that's exactly what he did. He rolled his hips back into the toy hungrily, imagining his alpha growling profanities in his ear and moaning. "Fuck, Deku. You feel so good. How do you keep your ass so tight for me, baby? You feel like a virgin every time~"

The omega moaned loudly, picking up the pace. He felt each and every time the thick rubber cock burrowed through his tunnel of muscles and pushed against his cervix. Fuck it was good. He only got this intense during his heat. Normally, a few fingers and five minutes would be plenty. In previous heats, it always seemed like a chore. He'd wait until he was too uncomfortable to put it off any longer and then help himself with the toy, regretting how sore it made him afterwards. This time was different because he had someone to fantasize about. Now it wasn't necessarily a chore but more of a taste of a four-course meal he was planning later.

"Alpha!" His imaginary self cried out. "Yes, alpha! Fuck! You're so thick, Mmm! Keep giving it to me! Don't stop, please!"

The alpha was hungry for Deku's compliments. "Yeah? Is that how you want it?"

"More." The boy whimpered. "I want more of you… as much as you can give me. Please, Alpha. Satisfy your omega."

Deku began ramming the toy into himself mercilessly, tearing through his sensitive ass. He imagined his burning hot alpha mounting him with primal bliss. The imagined the grunts and growls that would leak from the man's throat. Yes. That's how he was meant to be with Katsuki. He was born to be with him like this, to receive this man. The boy screamed when the toy rubbed against his prostate. Now he moaned aloud although there was no one around to hear him.

"There! Fuck, don't stop! Yes! Alpha! Right there, right there! Please fuck me just like that, alpha!" He begged to the silent room. It felt so dirty to let those words leave his imagination but he liked it. He liked feeling a little dangerous.

"Tell me how badly you want my cum." The man demanded viciously, controlling the boy's hips with such force that he would leave behind purple marks.

"Alpha! Ahhh! Fuck, I want it so badly! I wanted you to fill me with it! Please, Alpha! Please cum in me!"

Deku abused that spot with the dildo a few more times until his eyes rolled back in his head and his toes curled. He screamed his alpha's name as the currents of an orgasm better than he'd ever felt swept over him. His body clenched onto the toy, unwilling to let go. Everything was dizzy and blissful.

His orgasm lasted half a minute and it took him five minutes to recover enough to get the dildo out. As good as it was to be with Katsuki in his imagination, he knew there was more that he couldn't get on his own. The heat of the alpha's body, the dizziness of the alpha commands, the taste of his lips, the pressure of his grip. He wanted more.

His desperate mind considered sending Katsuki a message detailing just exactly what he wanted but he knew the communication manager would never approve that. He sighed and threw the toy onto the floor, angry at it. He had a lot of complicated emotions. He was happy to have his lust sated but also frustrated with Katsuki's decision and embarrassed of how sexual he'd just become. He never thought of or said things like that before. He was afraid of coming off as 'slutty'. After all, he wanted a partner, not an affair. He knew he should be more coy and scared of sex so Katsuki would know he was a virgin who needed long-term commitment but… that wasn't how he really wanted to act. Thinking about Katsuki got him excited. He didn't want to have to pretend like he didn't want it just to seem pure.

'Would Katsuki be turned off if he heard me talk like that? Maybe he'd think I'm gross if I begged for sex. I wish I could find out what he likes. Does he have an ex I could ask? How would I find out if he does? Maybe I should just ask Ochaco. She knows everything about alphas and omegas, maybe even more than Katsuki. She would say something sweet like 'just be yourself' or 'why don't you ask Katsuki what he likes?'. Those are logical responses but they're easier said than done.' Deku just wanted to be the perfect omega, so great that Katsuki never looked away from him.

Although he had been in a state of ecstasy and euphoria a minute ago, now his hormones had taken a wild swing, tossing him into currents of anxiety and depression as he buried his face into a pillow and cried quietly. Heat was not only physically demanding but also emotionally draining.

On the other side of town, Katsuki stood alone in his silent kitchen and prepared a smoothie for himself. He didn't feel that motivated to cook when Deku wasn't around. The omega cooked so well that it made everything else seem kind of bland in comparison. Katsuki threw three raw eggs into the blender along with two bananas and some almond milk. He drank it down quickly, looking around his empty house. It had been a week already since Deku was last there.

The alpha's phone rang. "Hello?" He muttered into the receiver.

"Hey Bakugo, it's Haru." The alpha heard a twinge of frustration and guilt behind the gym manager's voice.

"Are you calling to tell me that you did exactly what I asked you to and that there are no problems whatsoever? Because I can't think of any other reason why you'd be calling me."

"I talked to Ms. Himiko's manager about having her transferred. Long story short, it's not going to happen. She likes your look."

"I like pushing down the people I don't like and taking what I want from grocery stores without paying but we can't just go around getting what we like, can we?"

"Well, that's the difference between people like you and me and celebrities like Ms. Himiko. They can pretty much do anything they want. Her manager made it clear that you'd be her trainer and that if there was an issue, the gym would be an abandoned warehouse by the new year."

"Have you told him to go fuck himself?" Katsuki snarled. "Here, give me his number. I'll do it for you."

"Katsuki, cursing and hissing isn't going to solve anything in this situation."

"I'll quit, goddammit." The blonde growled, pulling out his trump card again. "I'm not fucking around, you hear me?"

"Look, don't take this out on me! You had the chance to refuse the contract when it was presented to you! You signed it and now you're in this for at least six months. You made your bed and now you have to lie in it, Bakugo! I'm done getting my hands dirty with this, it's your problem now."

The alpha laughed darkly. "You want me to take care of it? Happily!"

"You better keep your shit together, Bakugo." The manager threatened. "If you make trouble for the gym, I'm not taking any of the responsibility. You can say goodbye to your job and hello to a lawsuit that with leave your family with debt for three generations."

"Fuck you too! I'll leave you with bruises so bad your children will come out blue!"

"I'm serious. You can deal with this however you want but if this becomes my problem again, you won't be happy with how I handle it."

"Yeah, whatever. I don't need your help." Katsuki grumbled before hanging up. He called up the number that had first contacted him about a contract with Toga. He knew he had to watch his tongue.

A man picked up. "Hello, Mr. Bakugo." He greeted. His voice had a no-nonsense feel to it.

"Hello. Am I speaking to Ms. Himiko's manager?"

"Indeed, you are. What can I do for you? Please be brief, I'm a busy man."

That irked Katsuki but he still kept it together. "I've been informed by my manager that there's an issue with transferring Ms. Himiko to another trainer. I may be able to help settle that issue."

"There's no issue, we simply refuse the offer. We signed a contract with you, Mr. Bakugo, and we expect that contract to be honored. I don't see any issue there. In fact, it sounds like the most logical thing in the world to me. Is there something that's not making sense to you about our agreement?"

The alpha grabbed a pillow off of his couch and squeezed it so hard that his knuckles turned white. As an alpha, his instinct told him to shout and fight this man but he knew he had to remain composed. "Honestly, sir, your client made inappropriate advances towards me during our session. I can only see that ending in difficulties on both sides. That's why I'm asking that she be moved to a different trainer."

The man chuckled. "Are you really that much of a prude? Look, Himiko is an omega who's used to getting what she wants. Of course, she's going to try to fuck any alpha that catches her eye. Don't play the saint card, okay Buddy? It's just obnoxious. Fuck her or don't, I don't care, but that's not my problem."

With one swift motion, Katsuki tore the decorative pillow in half. He wanted to strangle someone. "Listen here! That contract you signed does have an annulment clause in cases of sexual assault and violence. Your client has already broken the contract, I could legally drop her on that ground alone!"

Now the manager openly laughed. "Have you ever heard of an alpha being sexually assaulted, Mr. Bakugo? Trying to sell that story to the press will be like trying to sell ice to an eskimo. Let me spoil the story for you so we can both save the time and energy. If you pull the sexual assault card, we'll claim the same thing. Who's going to win that battle? Some nobody alpha or this nation's precious omega idol? You'll lose more than your job, Kid. You won't be able to show your face outside your jail cell. Just keep your mouth shut and do your job. Oh, and one more thing. Don't get my idol pregnant or I'll deliver you to hell myself." The line was disconnected.

Katsuki was dumbfounded. He had no idea what to do, the situation had completely swallowed him up in just a matter of hours and now he couldn't see the way out. Toga had free reign to do whatever she wanted and Katsuki couldn't stop her. Images of the freckled greenette flashed through his memory. He loved that boy, he was so afraid of disappointing him. Deku would be the one who suffered most if things went wrong.

He had no choice in this situation but to ensure that things didn't go wrong. With that resolution, he went to the electronic store and bought three security cameras for his room at the gym. There were no rules that prevented him from installing then but still, he remained quiet about it in case the girl found out and made a fuss. If he was being recorded during their sessions, then it was only fair that she suffer the same treatment. He went to the gym and up to his room with the devices hidden in his duffle bag. The alpha installed the cameras in various parts of the room to ensure that nothing was hidden, disguising them in corners and among anatomy textbooks so they weren't easily noticed. If anything happened, Katsuki wouldn't be caught without evidence.

"You want to fuck with me? That'll be your mistake." He mumbled, linking the camera feed up to his laptop. Katsuki hated feeling helpless or submissive, he refused to.

He returned home and tried to fix his torn pillow with super glue but it was no good. He decided he'd have to let Deku redecorate the living room too now. He would probably do a great job, omegas had a knack for things like that. After all, this was going to be his home too.

'Maybe he'll need a car… does he know how to drive? Maybe that would be a good Christmas present granted that I don't lose my job and go to jail by Christmas. If things really went that badly… would he wait for me? Would he write to me? Would he believe that I'm innocent? When he gets out of the hotel, I'm going to tell him everything. If I keep anything hidden from him, it'll only make things worse.'

Across town in her pent house, Toga lounged on her couch, swiping through Instagram and mindlessly singing a song to herself. "Gonna go see Mr. Katsuki tomorrow~ Gonna get super toned~ Gonna be hotter than all these sluts~" She giggled at the girls on her feed. 'So fake and ugly…' She thought.

"Yeah right." Her bodyguard commented from across the room where he was reading the newspaper lazily. "You're not fooling anyone with that pushup bra, you're still a plain ol' B-cup."

Despite the obviously rude comment, the girl's heart fluttered at his words. "Have you heard the story of the fox and the apple? There was a fox that found the biggest, reddest, most beautiful apple that he'd ever seen in his whole life hanging from an apple tree. He tried over and over to get it but it was always just out of his reach so finally, he turned up his nose at the apple and said, 'I bet it's rotten anyways'."

"Wow, great story." The monotone man responded sarcastically.

"It means that people, like you, only hate what they can't have."

The man snorted. "I have everything I want, thank you very much."

The omega's heart ached to hear that. She'd liked Dabi for a long time and he knew it. He was the one thing she could never have. If she asked for a soda, it would be in her hand in seconds. If she asked for a private jet, it would be brought to her without hesitation. When she asked for an alpha, she was met with unshakable refusal.

Her manager said that she had to stay available for her fans. If she got an alpha, her alpha fans wouldn't be able to dream that they might someday have a chance with her. Even if she could date someday, the relationship would be negotiated between companies like an arranged marriage. Everything would be staged. From the way that she heard her manager joke about Dabi's burns, she was certain he would never let her date someone who looked like him.

She didn't care about his blistered flesh. She didn't care that he was mean to her or that he always rejected her. She cared about the way he protected her with his life, the way he rewarded her with subtle smiles, the way he didn't care about her fame or fortune. He saw her for who she truly was. Unfortunately, that wasn't much better. He saw how jealous and vengeful she was. He saw first-hand how cruel she could be.

"You have everything? What about an omega?" She asked. The man didn't respond. That worried her. He'd normally have a sharp comeback ready. "That black-haired bitch isn't still hanging around you, is she?" The omega snarled.

She watched as the man took a silent bite of his apple, his eyes not even rising from the newspaper to meet hers. 'Why is he so cruel?' she wondered. 'Fine, I can play his stupid game'.

She huffed and tossed her legs over the side of the couch. "I can't wait to go to the gym tomorrow and see Mr. Katsuki. He's so handsome, probably the most handsome alpha I've ever seen. And he's so well built too, he's probably even stronger than you." She glanced to her bodyguard who continued to read the paper as if he hadn't heard her. That infuriated her. The only reason she'd shown so much interest in Katsuki was to get the attention of the alpha she really wanted but it still wasn't working. She took her taunting up a level.

"He's got that bright, clear, skin too unlike what's-her-face. What's her name again? Dara? How boring! Fuck, I think I'd kill myself if I had to go around with muddy skin and a boring ass name like Dara-"

" _That's enough, Toga_." The alpha's voice growled. There was real anger and offense behind his words, making her heart shrink up inside of her. "You're not being cute or whatever, you're just pissing me off."

He got up and walked to the other room, leaving the sixteen-year-old idol to wallow in guilt and anger. She didn't know how to make him want her back. She would leave her career if he just said that he would take her but he wouldn't. Now… now there was another omega. It had always been just her. She made sure to keep him busy so that he wouldn't be able to meet anyone else yet despite her efforts, it happened. She didn't know what to do. She wanted to hurt him back, that's why she had started acting too close with that trainer. When the trainer told her he already had an omega, it had made her furious.

'You too!?' She thought 'Does no one want me? After all the diets, all the manicures, all the surgery, I'm still not pretty enough for an alpha? The fuck is your problem!?' She wanted to destroy that man's happiness because she couldn't have any of her own. Why should some other, unknown, ugly, omega get to be happy when she didn't? She wanted to black out the world so that it would stop telling her what to do. She wanted to destroy everything until all that was left was her and Dabi. Then he'd have to look at her.

Deku woke up in the morning and immediately sent a message to his alpha. He asked to send a voice recoding this time. He listened for the little beep indicating the beginning of the recording then spoke. "Hi Kacchan~ I miss you. The night went well, I slept a lot." He lied. "I think I'm probably going to go into full heat today so hopefully, I get through the cycle early and can be back at home by this weekend. I want to eat something really good when I get home, okay? Oh, and the flowers are still alive. They still look so pretty. Thank you for them. I can't wait to see you. Okay, well… that's all for now. Send me a message when you can, okay? Bye." He hung up, indicating that that was the end of his message. He knew that an employee would listen to it and maybe even edit it before giving it to Katsuki just to make sure it was safe.

An hour later, there was a knock on the hotel door. Deku answered and received his breakfast from an employee pushing a cart. He was in an especially lovey-dovey mood when he woke up so, while he sat on the floor eating pancakes and fruit, he made a list of baby names and wrote down the sort of things he would do with his baby when he had one. He'd butter warm toast for it, he'd take it out to the park, he'd give it baths and scent it every night. The boy giggled happily at the thought. Someday, he would have his own baby. It would be his, it would look like Katsuki, and it would smell good.

An hour later, Deku was sobbing into his pillow and an hour after that, he was calmly reading a textbook. Heat was a constant roller coaster. His full heat hit later that day around dinner time. He wouldn't open the door to accept food because he was so territorial of his space. The employees were used to that so they just brought it back about after a few hours when he had calmed down. He sent at least three messages to Katsuki every day. That was the limit for free correspondence but Katsuki often paid the charge so they could send more messages.

Between heat episodes, Deku read his books, watched TV, and wrote poetry. Eventually, the bouquet withered and made the omega all the more desperate to be reunited with his alpha. When the heat ended, he called down to the front office and notified them. They sent up a nurse who took the boy's heart rate, temperature, and felt his abdomen before verifying that it was safe for him to leave. It would take him another day or so to fully come off of his heat but as he was, it was fine to go home. Deku sent a message to the alpha, letting him know when he would be checking out then packed up as fast as he could.

Toga was especially troublesome during her next session with the alpha but he was blunt. When she got too close, he forwardly told her to back away from him. When she reached out to touch him, he moved away and told her that he wouldn't tolerate that. When she made inappropriate remarks, the alpha ordered her to stop. What was worse, Dabi didn't even blink twice at any of it. He looked around Katsuki's room boredly.

He didn't seem to care what happened to her. As she did sit-ups, she plotted in her head what she could do to get his attention. Toga didn't really have extremes, everything was on the table to her. 'Should I pull a suicide stunt?' She wondered "I could climb up on the balcony and act like I want to jump. What if the press saw? I'd have to check into a psychiatric hospital or something just for show. Fuck, I don't have time for that. I'm supposed to be releasing a single this month. I need something quicker and more private.'

That's when the omega came up with something. After the training session, she asked to talk to Katsuki alone. Normally, Dabi wouldn't permit something like that but he was completely certain that the blonde alpha was not in the least bit interested in the idol so he just shrugged and waited in the hallway. When they were alone, Katsuki crossed his arms and scowled. "We're at time, say what you need to say in twenty seconds or less." He demanded.

"I have a proposal for you." She said.

"Pass." He grumbled.

"If you do one little favor for me, I'll leave your gym and never come back." She promised.

Now he was listening. He knew he shouldn't negotiate with terrorists but it sounded so tempting. "I want you to put on a little show with me, no one will ever find out about it."

Katsuki was deeply disturbed by her word choice. What the hell kind of a show did she mean? "You have ten seconds to tell me what you mean or you've lost my attention."

"Okay, okay. I want you to pretend to sexually assault me during the next session so my bodyguard-"

"Stop stop stop. Okay, no. Conversation over." He turned away from her.

"You haven't even heard me out!" She argued.

"I don't have to. I'm not going to be part of your circus. Whatever your planning, I'm not part of it and I never will be."

"Please! What do you want, money? That's not a problem."

"Get out."

"Katsuki-"

"We're past time, leave."

"Oh my God, you're so stupid! It's like talking to a brick!" She grumbled in frustration. "I'll give you money, what else could you possibly want?"

"I want to keep my omega happy and I can't do that by getting caught up in childish games. Because I know you're going to ask again, the answer is no, the next answer is no, and the one after that is no. Will you leave now?"

"Uuugh!" She grumbled, stomping her foot like a child having a tantrum. "How am I supposed to get anything I want when I have to deal with people like you! All I want is for the alpha I like to like me back! It shouldn't be rocket science!"

For the first time, Katsuki was granted a little window into the girl's motives. He didn't pity her at all but he did have a better idea of what was causing her insane behavior. "If you want them to like you, then become the kind of person they like. You don't have to set up these crazy plots. Now leave or I'll ask your bodyguard to remove you."

Toga huffed in frustration. She didn't want Dabi to be annoyed with her again so she turned and left as she was told. Katsuki slipped his jacket on and went straight from the gym to the hotel. He was an hour early for Deku's check out time but he didn't mind the wait. They'd been away from each other for a total of five days, he didn't mind spending that last hour in the lobby, waiting.

He scanned every omega that came down that elevator. Eventually, one of them wore a familiar freckled face. The alpha stood up as soon as he spotted the boy and held open his arms invitingly. Deku smiled wide at the gesture and jogged as best as he could with the heavy bag on his shoulder until he was in the alpha's tight embrace. He giggled, his heart swelling with joy. The warmth he'd been missing for five days was finally returned to him. "I want to go home." He requested immediately.

"Go check out, I'll hold your bags." The alpha said.

Deku nodded and did so quickly, anxious to return to the alpha's side. He didn't want to be apart anymore. He knew that, for the next twelve hours, he would be stuck to the blonde like glue.

They went out to the car and got in. As Katsuki drove, he glanced over to the boy in the passenger seat and noticed that he was holding something. "What do you have there? Did you steal their shampoo?"

The giddy omega giggled. "It's a flower."

"It's not from that bouquet, right?"

"So what if it is?" He challenged with a blush tinting his cheeks.

"It must be dead by now. You don't have to hang onto stuff like that just because I gave it to you."

"I only kept one." He promised. "I wanted to put it in a scrapbook as a reminder. You wouldn't understand. Your soft, mushy, side died years ago." The boy joked.

"Ya damn right it did."

"Well, mine is very much alive and well and for that reason, I want to keep this flower. It signifies something really important to me… it reminds me of a sacrifice we both made and of the love that my alpha has for me."

Now it was Katsuki's turn to blush. "That's gay." He grumbled, making the boy burst into laughter. The alpha couldn't help but smile too. He absorbed the omega's happiness like a sponge.

"Home?" Katsuki asked.

The giggling boy nodded, clutching the little dry flower. "Home" he agreed.


	10. Protect

When the alpha and omega got home, Deku had only one request and that was to be scented. He didn't care if his bags waited in the trunk or if his parents waited for his call, he just wanted what he wanted. It increased the bond between him and his alpha and reaffirmed their relationship.

Katsuki rolled up his sleeves and fulfilled the omega's needs, rubbing their wrists together then their necks. It was satisfying for him too, especially after they'd been apart for so long. When the omega was satisfied, he helped Katsuki bring in the bags and called his parents from Katsuki's kitchen, watching the alpha mix drinks for them. He informed them that he was going to spend the night at Katsuki's place. He figured that he'd tell them tomorrow that he was moving out. It was the best decision for everyone. After all, his mom and dad were adults too and they wanted their own house back after 22 years of sharing it with a child.

"Okay so I'm just spit-balling here but I'm thinking white, natural wood, and organic green accents for the kitchen." The omega said as a short glass was placed in front of him. He sniffed it with interest. It smelled both sweet and bitter at the same time. He sipped it. "What's this?"

"Coke 'n rum." The man answered, sipping his own drink.

"Are you opposed to replacing these cabinets?"

"Very."

"Actually, we could paint them black. It would accent the light color scheme of the room."

The alpha grunted, foreseeing how annoying this redecorating thing was going to be.

"I'll figure it out tomorrow." The omega promised. "So what have you been up to these past few days? I don't hear enough from you in those 30-second-long messages."

"Really not much…" He felt the urge to tell Deku about the one thing that had been bugging him for so long. 'He's not going to be angry, right? It's not like I did anything wrong… Is he going to feel threatened? Less than? Anxious?' Katsuki wondered.

"Your eyes don't match your mouth." The omega noted, watching the worry in his partner's crimson irises.

"I've just been dealing with a client who really annoys me." The man admitted. It was time to tell Deku. Keeping it hidden only made it seem like there was something that needed hiding.

"It's Cutie, right?" He guessed immediately.

The alpha nodded.

"What's going on?" Izuku prodded, a sense of protectiveness making the hairs on his arms stand on end. He sensed a threat to his relationship.

"Since the first session, I've had issues with her being too close. She makes inappropriate remarks, she tries to touch me-"

" _Touch you how_?" The omega interrupted, growling like an alpha. The danger of his aura shocked Katsuki.

"Deku, take a deep breath. Nothing like you're thinking. Just little things like trying to touch my back or arms."

The omega immediately leaned closer to his alpha, his eyebrows knit together tightly as he sniffed for any evidence of her scent. Now that he was truly focusing, he found a bit of her lingering on the alpha's clothes. He met the alpha's eyes with a scowl. He was angry at the other omega, not Katsuki, but he couldn't hold in his expression of jealousy and irritation. "Go take a shower." He ordered, his voice leaving no room for negotiation.

Katsuki became worried. Deku's face was scary. 'Is he mad at me? I didn't do anything!' He remembered back to what Toga's manager had told him- that there was no such thing as a sexually assaulted alpha. 'Maybe he's right, no one would believe that I was really innocent. Alphas are always the aggressors, they always want sex. Maybe Deku believes that too' he thought. "Deku, I didn't instigate it or anything, I promise. I was acting the same with her as I do with all of my clients until I realized that she was… well, taking it the wrong way. I tried to drop her as a client right after that. I swear, you're the only omega that I look at." Katsuki had never sounded so pathetic in his whole life but now that there was even the slightest chance that he would lose his omega, groveling seemed like no big deal.

Deku quirked his brows. "What? No, Kacchan, I know you didn't do anything. I'm sorry, I know I'm really worked up right now but it's not your fault. I know you. I know you wouldn't act like that."

Katsuki felt a great weight lifted from him. How did he end up with someone so perfect? "Thanks, Deku." He said.

"Shower first, thank me later." The boy insisted. He couldn't stand that his alpha was wearing another omega's scent.

Katsuki nodded and went to the bathroom, surprised to see that the omega was following. "Are you… coming in with me?" He asked, his face flushed.

"I have to check and make sure that it's all gone." The omega wasn't embarrassed at all, he was on a serious mission.

Katsuki, despite his brash and masculine personality, didn't really like being naked in front of people. In the shower room at the gym, other men walked around with their dicks hanging free but Katsuki always wrapped a towel around his waist. He didn't really feel comfortable about just dropping his pants in front of his omega.

Deku sensed the alpha's hesitation. "Here, we'll both shower so it won't be weird." He suggested though the alpha didn't understand how that would be any less weird. The omega easily began to undress. Unlike Katsuki, he didn't mind nakedness. Granted, there were things he didn't like about his body like his knobby knees and obvious spine but when it came to his private parts, he didn't think twice about the alpha seeing them.

When the omega was completely stripped down to his bare, freckled, skin, he started the water and felt as it warmed up. Katsuki was shocked by the boy's bravery. Then again, he saw his naked body the first day they met when he was in the tub.

Katsuki began to undress, assured by Deku's serious demeanor that this wasn't anything sexual. When the omega turned around and saw that his partner was bare, he immediately noticed what was hanging between the man's legs. He blushed slightly and looked back to the tub. 'Isn't that kind of big?' He wondered. 'It's not erect, right? That's just the normal size? I don't think it would fit in me when it's at its full size. Shit… well, I guess I'll leave that problem for future Deku. But seriously, where is he supposed to put that? I better come up with an answer to that before we get there.'

"Kacchan, it's ready," He said, stepping into the shower. The Alpha followed. Surprisingly, once he was in the little space with his omega, it didn't seem so odd anymore. Deku had a pretty body. Of course, he was attracted to the omega sexually but those urges didn't seem to get in the way. He looked at the greenette and just saw a beautiful boy, a boy who was his. It was actually sort of natural to see him like this.

The alpha washed himself thoroughly then turned to the omega for approval. The boy sniffed him all over and told him to wash again. He caught traces of her scent on his shoulder where she often touched him. That annoyed the omega. "You told her you already have an omega, right?"

"Many times." Katsuki confirmed.

"Why is she so persistent? I don't like that. She has too much power, she could say bad things about you and everyone would believe her."

"Everyone?"

"Well not me, of course." The omega said, rinsing the soap out of his thick hair. "I'm always on your side. Still, you should be careful of her. Can't you send her to a different trainer?"

"Not really. She chose me for whatever reason - I think it has something to do with another alpha - and I already signed a contract. Now I'm stuck with her."

"Tell your boss that she's acting like that."

"I did but ultimately, the contract was with me, not the gym so it's just between me and her manager. You don't have to worry about it, Deku. Nothing will ever happen between us and I have cameras in my studio to prove that."

"Let me go talk to her."

"Not going to happen."

"What? Why!?" The omega pouted. "I can take care of it!"

"She's a crazy person with crazy amounts of power. I don't want you within a mile of her."

"You get to protect me from other alphas all the time but I don't get to do the same? Doesn't that sound awfully hypocritical?"

The alpha shrugged, set in his decision.

"I can take care of it!" The boy insisted. "I'm your omega, I have the right to claim what's mine and drive off competitors."

"I'm your alpha, I have the right to keep my omega safe. You can't imagine what a war this caliber would look like."

The omega drained the last of the soap from his hair and left the shower, annoyed. 'He doesn't believe me? Do I look weak?' He wondered. Izuku found that there were no clothes left in his dresser so he put on a pair of underwear and closed himself in his room. 'It's my duty and my right to keep omegas away from Kacchan! That's my job, he can't take it away from me. What a prick. Does he think he can just tell me what to do all the time because he's an alpha?'

Katsuki was not unaware of how the omega was feeling but he didn't know what the solution was. He couldn't just let Deku hash it out with Toga, that was too dangerous. He got out of the shower and dried off. After getting dressed, he sat on the couch for a while and waited to see if Deku would calm down and come out. After two hours of waiting, he decided to knock in the bedroom door. "Deku." He said bluntly, trying not to seem too emotional. "Come on, I'm going to make dinner."

"I'm tired." He lied.

"Just come out. This is childish. I said it's not going to happen and that's that."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize that you were the emperor all of the sudden. Your word is law now?"

"Just get over it! I can handle it myself just fine without you getting involved and complicating things!"

"I'm sorry my affection is so inconvenient for you, Katsuki." The omega spat in a bitter voice.

The alpha growled, frustrated. This was the type of situation he wanted to avoid when he was single. Deku was acting so jealous and unreasonable, it was obnoxious. He returned to the couch and pulled out his phone, texting the relationship guru.

Katsuki: You busy? I've got a question.

Ochaco: Not particularly. What is it?

Katsuki: I told Izuku about that client and now he wants to go beat her up. Obviously, he can't do that but now he's all pissed at me too.

Iida glanced over to his wife in the passenger seat of his car. "Who are you texting?" He wondered.

"Izuku and Katsuki." She answered, smiling at the navy-haired alpha.

"Both of them?"

"Yeah, they're in a little fight. It's their first fight as a couple."

"Oh… Should you really be intervening in that?"

"I'm not getting involved, I'm just helping them to see the issue from a third-party perspective. People go blind when they're upset."

"Don't meddle." He reminded her.

"I'm not!" She protested.

"I know they're your friends but they'll get through this on their own and be stronger because of it." He told her. She huffed and set down her phone, knowing her alpha was right. He chuckled. "Hungry?" He offered as an olive branch.

"Always." She replied. "This baby is going to come out fat."

"Milkshakes or french fries?" He asked. Those were her most common cravings.

"Both." She decided.

The alpha smiled. "Okay, both."

Katsuki growled at his phone in frustration. Ochaco wasn't responding anymore. He needed her to tell him what to do. 'Shouldn't I be able to say 'because I'm the alpha' and have my orders followed? It's not like I'm a tyrant or anything but sometimes, I have to make decisions for him even when he doesn't want me to! God, he's being so annoying! I thought Deku was this completely unique, perfect, omega but I guess all omegas are at least a little obnoxious.'

In the bedroom, the mostly naked boy angrily tidied and organized his things. He checked his phone again but his friend hadn't responded. She always knew what to say. It was like she could see into the minds of alphas. Deku wondered if he'd ever be able to understand Katsuki as well as she seemed to. He looked up from where he sat on the floor when there was another knock at his bedroom door. He was expecting an apology.

"Deku, just come out already." The alpha ordered, his stern tone only further aggravating the omega.

"I'm not a doll. You can't just say 'go here', 'go there', 'do this', 'don't do that'. Have you ever used the word 'please' in your life?"

"Why the fuck are you being like this all the sudden!? It's not cute, Deku. You're acting like every other needy, irrational, omega in the world."

That set Izuku aflame. "Oh, so you've jumped to attacking my whole gender!? Is your head still on your shoulders out there!?"

"My head's just fine, how about yours? Why can't you understand a simple concept!? You want to do something stupid so I said no! That's as complicated as this needs to be!"

There was a long silence before the boy's voice returned, darker and more serious than Katsuki had ever heard. " _I'm not stupid_."

"Deku… you know I didn't mean it like that."

"Go away, Katsuki." The omega growled.

Katsuki went to the kitchen and poured himself another drink, harder than the first. He threw back his head and swallowed the bitter liquor in one shot. 'Maybe we were too rash when we decided to start living together again' he thought. 'Maybe this is too fast. Couples usually spend time apart to learn about each other before getting this close.'

Just as he thought that, there was a low rumbling that reverberated through every surface in the room. It caught the alpha off guard but he didn't have a moment to collect his thoughts before the real shock hit. The world jerked beneath his feet, making the ceiling lights swing and the cabinet doors smack. His walls creaked with subtle strain. There was a loud noise from Deku's room, the sound of something falling. Immediately, despite the fight, the alpha's only thought was of Deku. His heart raced a million miles an hour.

He rushed to Deku's door, the world still unsteady. "Deku!" He yelled, banging on the door. He tried the handle but it was locked.

The only response he got was a barely audible voice whimpering "Ka-Kacchan…"

Without hesitation, the alpha lifted his leg and broke the door handle. The door burst open, smacking hard against the wall with an incredible bang. The door knob on the other side broke through the wall, creating a fist-sized hole in the plaster.

Katsuki rushed to the omega and lifted the shelf off of the boy. Where it hung on the wall was scarred by the screws being ripped out when the shelf fell. It wasn't heavy or even that big but it was enough to pin the omega down due to his natural panic instinct. Omegas like many other prey animals often froze in response to physical attack, unable to shake their muscles out of the forced shut down.

Katsuki pulled Deku with him under the desk. They huddled together, the omega still frozen. Although the main shock was over, the after shocks would still be coming.

The alpha held his omega so tight, only concerned with keeping the boy safe. Both of their phones chirped as the warnings came in and car alarms started whining outside. As Deku regained control of his body, his fingers grabbed on tight to the alpha's shirt. He completely forgot the fight, all he cared about was that his alpha was there.

They remained under the desk, waiting in silence for another ten minutes as a few aftershocks rang through before finally coming out from hiding. Katsuki went first, checking that everything was fine before extending his hand to his omega and helping him up. Both looked around the room with baited breath, assessing the damage and feeling for more quakes.

The house had faced no noticeable damage other than the shelf falling. Deku had been the one who installed the shelf. He didn't properly reinforce the screws and put too much weight on it. Katsuki gently brought Deku to his bed and laid him down, feeling over his body slowly and carefully to access if there was bone damage. Deku was completely willing to submit now after being so frightened.

Katsuki rolled the boy onto his back and started feeling his ribs. "I'm sorry, Kacchan…" The boy whispered. "I don't want to talk to her anymore. I'll follow your order." That moment of panic reminded him that the alpha is there to protect him. It humbled him. All he wanted was to belong to this alpha. It seemed so stupid now to fight with him. He didn't mind just accepting Katsuki's decision.

Katsuki helped the boy sit up and hugged him warmly, realizing how idiotic the whole thing was. Deku just wanted to follow his nature and protect him out of love. He knew it was wrong to just order the omega around without proper discussion. Yes, he was the dominant one in the relationship but he had to show Deku respect by honoring his wishes. "No… you shouldn't listen to me, I was being a dick. I'm sorry." He nuzzled his nose into the crook of Deku's neck and took in his scent. The most important thing to him was having his boy there in his arms and safe. The earthquake reminded him of that.

"You were kind of a dick…" the omega agreed, "But I was a dick too."

"Are we even, then?" The alpha softly kissed the omega's collarbone. All of the stress that he was still holding onto from the quake dissolved.

"We're even." The boy agreed.

"I have another session with her the day after tomorrow. Why don't I bring you to work with me and you can talk to her."

The boy nodded. "Is she… really pretty?"

"No. Why does that matter?"

"What if I show up and she looks gorgeous and I look…"

Katsuki covered the boy's mouth with his hand. "You're prettier than anyone else. Don't say stupid things anymore."

The boy's heavy lids flickered closed, silently prompting Katsuki for a kiss. The alpha removed his hand and replaced it with his lips, kissing his boy slowly and lovingly. Both men parted their lips and accepted the other as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Katsuki led, choosing the angles and initiating each step but he was also attentive to the omega, listening and responding to the boy's silent cues. The intimacy was finally broken by both of their phones beeping hysterically.

The omega grumbled annoyedly as he got off the bed and fetched his phone. He wasn't living with his parents but he still managed to get interrupted every time he and Katsuki were having a private moment. He read the message. "Tsunami warning." He reported, seeming a little unimpressed. It was mandatory to issue a warning after a large enough earthquake. "It says here that the quake was either a magnitude four or five, it's still being assessed." He looked up to his alpha. "No evacuation warning so… let's watch Total Home Makeover." He suggested.

The alpha rolled his eyes. He hated that show. Each episode was the same. The team of omega designers would victimize some poor alpha who couldn't give two shits about interior design and tear their house apart. "I'm only saying yes because I'm a little tipsy." The alpha agreed. In truth, he felt bad about their fight earlier.

For the rest of the night, the two sat on the couch and watched TV. Katsuki sat upright while the omega stretched out, his head on his alpha's lap and his body strewn across the length of the couch. Deku fell asleep in that position after a few episodes. Katsuki quietly turned off the TV and brought him to his own bedroom. He didn't want to leave the boy alone in the remodeled office until he'd had a chance to check all the fixtures for stability.

He put Deku in his bed and got in on the other side. When he woke up at sunrise, he realized that his body had practically consumed Deku's. He had the boy trapped in his arms, one leg swung over his hips to pin him in place. The omega cuddled into the hold, enjoying the warmth and alphan scent.

Katsuki carefully removed himself from the boy and went to make breakfast. Although Deku preferred to sleep in, the scent of broiling fish and the loss of his heat source drove him out of bed. He tiredly plopped himself down at the table, his eyes barely opening. "Did I wander into your room last night?" He asked.

"No, I put you there. I'll put that shelf back up in your room and check the other fixtures. Then you can move back in."

The omega put this head down on the cool counter top, silently hoping it would take Katsuki a few days at least to fix everything so that he could stay in the alpha's room a little longer. His bed was bigger and softer and he slept so well next to the alpha. "Kacchan, I need coffee." He whined.

"Get up and make it." The alpha said, turning the rice in his rice cooker to ensure it was cooking evenly.

"But you make it better."

"Bullshit. Stop being lazy. If you're going to live here, you have to carry your weight."

The omega grumbled and dragged his tired body to the coffee maker. "Do you know of a job I can do with a degree in Russian literature and English?"

"Sure. You could be a tour guide, you could work at the embassy, you could tutor. There are a million jobs you could do."

"Can you help me write a resume?"

"Do you have any work experience?"

"I don't think so."

"Maybe you should get a seasonal job like as bagger or cashier. That way, you have at lease something to put on a resume."

"But I wanted to go see your parents for the holidays…"

"What?"

"Christmas is really special in America, right? I thought it would be fun to go there for the holiday and meet them."

"When were you planning on discussing this with me? Were you going to go alone?" He asked, narrowing his brows.

"Don't you think it's weird that you never talk about your family? I've never met them, not even over face time. Do they even know that I exist?"

Katsuki served two plates with rice and fish. "What does it matter? You're with me, not them."

"Is there a reason you haven't told them?" There was a twinge in insecurity in the omega's voice as he brought the pot of coffee to the table and poured it into the two mugs.

"Look, it's not like I'm hiding anything, I'm just not that close with my family. Besides, they're weird and they would freak you out."

"I promise I won't be freaked out." The boy insisted. "It's just your mom and dad, right?"

That was a hard question for Katsuki to answer. He sighed and put pressure on his temples. "I…Well, yes. The house in Alaska is just my mom and dad."

"Kacchan? That was a weird answer... I thought you didn't have any siblings." Deku stared the alpha down with a hard gaze.

"It doesn't matter." He replied. The little omega let his fork drop from his hand with a clatter on the table. He hadn't taken a bite yet he abandoned the plate and crossed his arms. He alpha glanced up. "What's that? A hunger strike?"

The boy raised an eyebrow at him challengingly. "You have a sibling." He stated confidently.

"Just drop it. You'll never ever meet him."

"What's his name? Is he older or younger? Is he an alpha too? Do you have a picture?"

Katsuki knew he had to get off this topic. The incessant omega would never stop bugging him. Like throwing a ball for a dog, Katsuki decided to offer something he knew the omega wouldn't refuse. "Wanna go to IKEA?"

Izuku took the bait, his eyes going wide. "Can we?"

"Yeah." Katsuki nodded. "But you've got to finish your breakfast so less talking and more eating." He was glad to be off the subject of his brother. He didn't know how to explain their relationship to Deku. He lived in Hong Kong, Katsuki lived in Japan, and that amount of distance worked well for them.

The boy scarfed down his meal then went to Katsuki's closet to find something that would fit him. "Kacchan, can we go by my parents' place too?" He asked from the bedroom. "I need to pick up my clothes."

"Sure." The alpha agreed. The omega walked out in an oversized hoodie and basketball shorts, making the alpha snort. "Actually, I think this is the best wardrobe for you." He said, unable to hold back chuckles.

"Why is everything you own black and grey?" The boy complained.

"Give me a twirl, let me see your outfit." He said. The naïve boy did as he was told, turning around for the alpha. "It certainly fills you out a little more."

"Are you teasing me?"

"No, you look cute. Funny but cute."

"Kacchan… is this the sort of fashion you like? Baggy and plain?" He asked. He'd been wondering about Katsuki's preferences since his first night in the hotel.

"Those are my clothes. Obviously, I like them."

"I meant on other people. What kind of fashion do you think looks good on other people?"

"This question is getting weird. Just tell me what you really want to say."

The omega took a deep breath. "I want to wear clothes that will make me more attractive to you." The boy blurted out. "Don't get me wrong. I don't mean that I want to be erotic all the time, I just mean that I want to present myself in a way that you think looks good."

The alpha rolled his eyes, smiling just the littlest bit. "What? Do you want me to say something cheesy like 'you always look good'?"

"I want you to tell me the truth. It's something I think about often… I know looks aren't really a big deal to alphas but they are to omegas. I want to make sure you always look at me and think I'm cute."

"Alright, alright. Come over here, let me see you better." The alpha ordered, his voice soft. The omega obeyed, walking straight up to the sitting man so that their knees were touching. He was a little embarrassed. "Th-this isn't really the outfit I wanted you to look at, though. They don't fit at all and-"

Before he could say anything else, he felt two big, warm, hands gently take hold of his waist and pull him in a bit closer. The alpha leaned in too and met the boy's abdomen with a soft kiss over the fabric of the hoodie. He seemed so tame and gentle compared to his usual hot-headed self.

Deku blushed, holding onto the man's arms for balance. "Katsuki…" He whispered.

" _You always look good_." The man answered, his breath warm against the shirt material. He slowly nosed the boy's stomach lovingly. "Even when you roll out of bed with your hair in a mess, wearing an oversized t-shirt. Even then, I think you're prettier than everyone else. Even when I first met you and you were dirty, bony, and bruised. Even then, you were a hundred times prettier than Toga or any other omega. Wear anything or nothing, you'll still be without competition."

The omegas hands gently slid up the alpha's arms, over his shoulders, up his neck, and cupped his cheeks lovingly. " _I love you_." He whispered.

The alpha smiled up at him, truly believing that his omega was the most beautiful person alive. "Ditto." He responded with a little chuckle, making the omega giggle too.

"Say it back." The boy pestered, his smile extending from cheek to cheek.

"I just did~"

"No you didn't, Jerk."

"I just called you the most beautiful person in the world and you call me jerk? I'm not the insensitive one here."

The happy omega leaned down and kissed his alpha deeply. This was his first time fully initiating a kiss. Before, he would just give cues and wait for the alpha to act but he couldn't help it this time. He loved this man, he truly did. He loved how he was so kind and loving but at the same time, stand-offish and proud. He loved the alpha's teasing and his jokes just like he loved his praises and caresses.

When the kiss was broken, the two looked into each other's eyes. The cool, organic, green irises fearlessly clashing with the fiery, passionate, crimson ones. " _I love you too_." The alpha said, speaking the words that flowed over Izuku like a gentle river.

Izuku felt a desire to keep going. He wanted another kiss, this one deeper and more passionate than the last. He wanted to climb into Katsuki's lap and let the alpha lead their actions. He shook the thought out of his head with tinted cheeks and backed up from Katsuki. He grabbed his coffee and sipped it. It was mostly milk and sugar with just a bit of coffee for taste. 'Katsuki has been so patient with me… I need to do the same.' He reminded himself.

"I'm going to get dressed." Katsuki said before getting up and leaving for his room. He pulled off his shirt and looked for one to change into. 'I wonder when it's going to be the right time for _that_. I mean, it's obvious that we love each other, heat isn't in the way, and there's no inequality between us anymore.' He thought. 'Do we love each other enough? Is this a forever thing? For me… I'd be happy to call him my omega forever. I wonder if he feels the same way. Is he a virgin? Shit, what if neither of us know what we're doing? What if I do something wrong and hurt him? What if he can't relax and enjoy it because of his weight issue? What if I scare him?'

There was a lot to consider. Katsuki changed his clothes and fixed his hair in the mirror. 'Whatever. It'll happen when it happens, right? It's only been a month. Respectable couples wait longer than that. It's not like it's the only way we can give each other affection and even without that, this is still perfect.'

The two men got in the car and drove to IKEA. This time, Katsuki made sure to set a four-hour limit for the trip. That was the longest he could tolerate it. Izuku got busy with his time limit, being sure not to waste a single minute. Katsuki was usually very attentive towards the omega but he was so bored in that store that he found his attention wandering. Sometimes he'd pull out his phone and when he looked up, the boy was already 100 feet away.

One such time when he found himself dozing off, he snapped out of it and looked around for the omega only to spot him further down the isle talking to a stranger. He quickly approached the two, giving the stranger a predatory glare. It was an alpha and he had the scent of multiple omegas on his clothes. Katsuki didn't like that at all. He noticed that Deku was holding a little piece of paper and took it from him, reading it over.

It was a flyer for a company that described itself as a modeling agency. It wasn't any company that Katsuki had ever heard of before. He glared at the invasive alpha with pure danger in his eyes. "The fuck is this?" He growled, holding up the flyer. "Is this from you? What makes you think my omega would be anywhere near a business like this? Do these fake-ass little flyers really trick anyone?"

"We-we're just a modelling agency…" The nervous alpha replied but Katsuki knew better. These companies roped in omegas with one or two innocent photoshoots and treated them like celebrities. Once they had a foot in the door, it was easy to ask for more. They easily pressured the omegas into taking photos without their clothes on and then they moved into movies. Some of the bigger rings took it step further, threatening to send those movies to their school principals and grandparents if they didn't take a few private appointments with strange men. As an omegan self-defense professional, Katsuki knew all about these businesses.

He grabbed the man by the collar, jerking him hard. "Don't ever look at my omega again, got it?" He growled, only one step away from tearing the man's throat out. "Don't even think about him. If he ever gets approached like this again, I don't care whether you know the person or not, I'm going to hunt _you_ down personally and kill you." He let go of the man's collar, his aura still strong and aggressive. "Never come back here."

The man nodded and left immediately. Katsuki watched until he was out of sight before turning his eyes back to his omega. The boy was wide-eyes and trembling. He was scared and confused. Why had his alpha just tried to publicly murder the stranger who told him he was pretty? He couldn't remember seeing Katsuki as being this dangerous before.

"Katsuki?" He asked in a small voice. He was releasing fear and anxiety pheromones. "Why… why did you do that?"

It broke his heart to see his own omega afraid of him. What broke his heart more was having to explain to him that someone saw him as weak and tried to take advantage of him. He remembered how badly hurt the omega had been after learning the truth about Todoroki. He felt venerable and stupid. Katsuki didn't want him to have to feel like that again. He was angry at himself for not protecting Deku correctly. If he had stayed by his side and remained vigilant, that man would have never approached the omega.

Katsuki knew that he had to tell him the truth. Deku had to know what monsters were out there so he didn't get eaten by one. "That's not a real company. I've heard the same story a hundred times. Every year, countless omegas get tricked by those guys." He explained, trying to help Deku see that it wasn't just him who fell for these things. "It's not modeling like the kind on the front of magazines, it's clothes-off modeling." He watched the pain in his omega's eyes and felt his heart sink. For Deku's own good, he had to tell him.

"Companies like this… they trick omegas into taking videos with their clothes off then they force them to spend the night with strangers or they sell them off into marriages with people who already have two or three omegas. That's why I had to act like that. Unless he really believed that I would kill him, he'd keep coming back here. And Deku… it wasn't just an act. I would kill that man if he ever put his hands on you and tried to treat you badly. As long as I'm alive, you will never be treated like that."

The omega began blinking rapidly, fighting away tears that stung his eyes. "So that was a trick… He was trying to hurt me… and I just played along, believing his compliments… I'm sorry, Kacchan."

Katsuki took a step forward and pulled the boy into an embrace so he could cry without anyone seeing. His omega was such a cry baby but he loved that about him. "It wasn't your fault." He assured. "Some people walk around this earth looking for other people's weaknesses. You're trusting and sweet and cute. Some people will recognize how beautiful that makes you and others will see it as a way to use you." He comfortingly played with the boy's rich emerald curls and emitted his calming alpha pheromones. "I'm sorry I left you alone. I won't do it again."

When Deku had calmed down, he pushed slightly against the alpha to indicate that he didn't need to be held anymore. Katsuki released him and looked into his eyes. "Are you okay?" He asked.

Deku nodded. "Will you… hold my hand the rest of the trip? Please?" He requested. As soon as the words left his lips, a familiar hand wrapped around his, fingers intertwining. They walked around the store like that. Although the omega was a little more on edge, he was remarkably calm. After all, his alpha was there. There was no one he trusted or loved more than his alpha.

"Kacchan…" The boy said as they walked along.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think I'm weak?"

"What?"

"Answer honestly, it's okay."

The alpha chuckled. "If I said yes, I'd be completely forgetting the time you kicked my ass. Remember that? I think I still have a headache from that headbutt."

"That was a fluke." The omega dismissed.

"Bullshit. Is it a fluke that you're ready to fight a huge pop star over a little bit of flirting? You're strong, Deku. There's no two ways about it."

The omega managed a weak smile. "Sometimes, I look at myself and think, 'I'm not pretty, I'm not strong, I'm not smart' but then you say I am and I can't help but believe you."

"I don't lie so from now on, you can trust what I tell you, okay?"

"Okay, Kacchan." The omega affectionately squeezed the alpha's hand. There was no doubt in his mind that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with this man.


	11. Ready

Izuku and Katsuki left IKEA with a few bags in the trunk. The little omega mumbled on and on about his plans for the kitchen before they finally pulled up to his parents' house.

Toshinori asked to speak to Katsuki on the porch so the omega stayed inside with his mother. When Deku explained to his mom that he wanted to move in with Katsuki, she wasn't surprised at all. She had known that this was going to happen since Deku first came back to them. She held her son's face and kissed his cheeks. "Are you sure you're ready, Honey? You're going to be the omega of the house now. You're going to have half of the household responsibilities. When you two fight, you won't be able to just walk away." She said. She wasn't trying to talk her son out of it, she just wanted to prepare him for what it means to me someone's omega.

"I know, Mom."

"I know TV makes it seem like omegas are just pets for alphas and that the alpha runs everything but trust me, the omega does just as much if not more to keep a house up and running. We work behind the scenes, cleaning, tidying, fixing, protecting. Our homes are a huge part of our lives. After all, our nesting instincts make us connect to our homes in a way that alphas don't."

The boy nodded.

"If the washing machine breaks or the house floods, you're going to have to deal with that. If there's not enough money, it'll be your job to figure out a solution. When I first moved in with your father, I just figured that the bills got paid and it didn't concern me how because I wasn't working at the time. One day, our electricity got shut off and I realized that running a household isn't a one-person job. Your father should have budgeted better but it was my fault too because I should have been there at his side, helping him manage those things. After that, I started doing the budgeting for the house. I started adjusting the thermostat to save power, I washed clothes by hand, I scolded your dad when he bought something that wasn't on the grocery list. I even learned how to do some plumbing. It can be difficult to try to share control with an alpha but that's part of your job.

It's not just the house that you have to take care of either. You have to take care of Katsuki too. Alphas are passionate. They can get really angry or really anxious very quickly. Its your job to stay level headed and help the alpha calm down. When something's wrong, they usually don't want to tell their omegas because they don't want to look like they failed or they're weak. With time, you'll learn how to read your alpha just based on their body language. It won't always be easy but that's what it means to be someone else's omega. Sympathy, patience, love, sacrifice, and compromise. You're going to be working on those virtues every day of your life."

Deku nodded again. He knew this was going to be hard. He knew that he and Katsuki would fight and struggle, they'd have to learn how to make it work together but he still wanted to take that chance. "I know, Mom… but I also know that I love Katsuki and I want to be his omega."

Inko smiled and kissed her boy. It seemed like he grew up and became his own person so quickly. She could still remember when she was his favorite person in the world and he wanted to do everything she did. Now, he was asking for space. Now, he had a new favorite. "Come with me, okay? I have some things for you to take with you." She said, leading her son to the garage. She started going through storage boxes and pulling out quilts that she had made for him as an infant. "I made these fore you a long time ago. They may look kind of outdated now, these patterns were more fashionable in the nineties."

"I love them, Mom." Deku replied with complete honestly. He was excited to start his own home. "Hey Mom. Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course, Izuku."

"Did you ever have to fight off other omegas? When you and Dad were dating, did you every have to compete with people who wanted to get close to Dad?"

"Of course, I did. Your father is still very handsome but when we were younger, he was the best-looking alpha in our whole town. He had huge muscles and this blinding smile. His family started received arranged marriage proposals for him when he was just ten. When we were in high school, omegas would leave notes in his locker and in his desk every day."

Deku's jaw fell open, amazed. He remembered his dad being heavier and stronger when he was very young but in most of his memories, his father was frail and thin. "What did you do?"

"Some omegas gave up when they got rejected but others weren't as understanding. I wish I could tell you that I was very mature about it but the reality is that our instincts aren't always sweet and dainty. I insulted some of them and even got in fights. Even though I knew that your father had chosen me, there was a part of me that still felt the desire to get rid of those competitors. I remember receiving this horrible letter from an omega once that said that they had named one of their heat toys after my alpha. Even though it didn't matter, it drove me crazy."

Deku was astonished. His mother had always been so peaceful and docile. He couldn't imagine her actually fighting other omegas. He explained his story to her, hoping for her help. "Katsuki is right, it's dangerous to make enemies with her but I can't just sit by and watch. You should hear how they're treating Katsuki. If he were an omega, they'd call it sexual assault but instead, they threaten him and call him the predator. It makes me so angry. What should I do?"

"That's a hard one… You know, I used to have this little poodle. It was a rotten little dog and it always stole my things and when I tried to get them back, it would play keep away. I eventually figured out the trick. When it grabbed a sock, I'd go get one of its toys and get her all worked up about it then trade her the toy for the sock. Maybe you can use that lesson here. Didn't you say that it wasn't actually about Katsuki? She wanted some other alpha?"

Deku nodded. "That's what it seems like."

"Sometimes, it's easier not to chase the dog but to instead, divert it's attention. Maybe you could help her get what she wants."

"So you want me to reward her for acting like a brat?"

"It doesn't really matter if she's rewarded or punished, right? All you care about is keeping Katsuki out of trouble and sleeping well at night."

"I suppose you're right."

"After all, Izuku, you have the power over her. Sure, she has money and fame and but you can do one thing she can't- get an alpha. She wants what you have."

Deku hadn't thought of it that way. Although he wanted to fight her, he'd restrain himself just to get her away from him. Katsuki pretended like it wasn't a big deal but Deku knew it really bothered him. It bothered him that no one believed him, that they treated him like just another horny alpha. "Thanks, Mom."

"No problem, Honey. You should go rescue your alpha now, I bet you father is trying to intimidate him." She said with a chuckle.

Izuku nodded and went out to the porch where Toshinori was having a chat with Katsuki. Surprisingly, it wasn't very hostile or threatening at all. He was giving the young man advice on how to be an alpha and how to live with an omega. Katsuki was really glad to have some expert advice. He had been getting all his advice from a 17-year-old omega that grew up in a cult so it was nice to have a different opinion.

Once he heard the door close and saw his cute omega approaching, holding an armful of quilts, he couldn't help but smile. "Hey. What are those?" He asked.

Deku happily showed them to the alpha. "Mom gave us from quilts she made." He explained. "Dad's not bullying you, is he?"

"Nah. Want me to go put those in the car?"

"Yes please." He handed the quilts over to the alpha who took them out to the car. When the alpha was out of ear shot, Toshinori spoke up.

"He's the one?" He asked his son.

Deku nodded. "I'm sure of it, completely sure. You… you like him, right?" The omega was nervous. He'd love Katsuki even if his family rejected him but he wished they wouldn't. He wanted them to see how amazing Katsuki was, even if he appeared to be cold and harsh at first glance.

"He's stubborn and a bit aggravating but… he's good. He really loves you and I believe that he'll always do right by you so, I want you to know that if the time comes, I will hand you off to him without a word of complaint."

The watery-eyed Izuku embraced his father tightly. He knew this was hard for his dad. As an omega, his mother understood Deku's longing to be with Katsuki and she was prepared to let him go but to Toshinori, this was much harder. He had always been the alpha that Izuku looked to for protection and guidance. The boy had even told his father that he wanted to marry him when he was little. Toshinori had always been Izuku's alpha but now, it was time to let go and break that bond. It was time to let another alpha take care of his precious son.

Katsuki saw what was happening when he was walking back to the porch so he just waited quietly in the yard to not disturb them. Deku finally broke the hug after a few minutes and spotted his alpha in the yard. He wiped his teary eyes and gestured for Katsuki to come up to the house. The boy gave his father one last kiss on the cheek before going with Katsuki to pack up his belongings.

As Katsuki put clothes from his dresser into a plastic bag, he found something interesting. "What's this?" He asked, holding up a purple teddy bear. It had a funny smell on it. The omega immediately blushed.

"That… It's from when I was a kid." He tried to explain.

"It smells weird."

"It's artificial alpha pheromone. They make these for omegas in heat to help dull the pain and relax them. There's a little pouch in the back of it that you can replace." He said. The alpha curiously sniffed it. The scent was similar to an alpha but still obviously fake. It was like the difference between a fresh bundle of lavender and a lavender air freshener.

Deku's face went bright red. He had vivid memories of holding that doll to his face as he straddled a body pillow. "Y-you should put it down. It's old, it might have dust mites." He excused.

The alpha smirked, knowing the real reason for the boy's embarrassment. Still, he handed it over without teasing. The chatted about what they would have for lunch and other mundane topics until the packing was done. Katsuki loaded the boxes into his car while Deku kissed his parents and promised to be over for dinner next week. The drive was only about twenty minutes between the two houses.

They went home and Deku cooked lunch. After eating, he worked on remodeling the kitchen while Katsuki went through Deku's room and fixed everything that was installed incorrectly. By the time the sun set, both men flopped on the couch tiredly. Deku laid across his alpha's lap, his back sore from all the squatting and bending over. He whined, trying to reach a sore point on his back to massage it and failing. Suddenly, a warm, strong, hand made contact and started soothing the tense muscle. The omega melted. Katsuki knew exactly what he was doing.

"Thank you." He sighed, feeling the soreness dissipating. "A little lower." He pleaded. His request was met as knuckles rolled down his back. He practically moaned in pleasure, biting his lip to keep it in. He couldn't, however, hide the pleasure pheromones that were draining out of him freely.

Katsuki sniffed the air. "That feels good, huh?" He asked. He'd massaged clients before just when they had a knot or pulled a muscle but this was different. This was Deku's body and these were Deku's pheromones.

"Yeah." The boy mumbled. Before he realized it, there was a strange rattling in his throat. He swallowed but he couldn't get rid of it.

"Are you… purring?" Katsuki asked, surprised.

"Oh… I guess." Deku blushed. He usually only did this as he came down from an orgasm. "Sorry."

"It's okay." The alpha replied, his voice smooth and relaxing. "You can relax." He continued to massage the boy's back tenderly. When he felt a tense muscle, he ground his palm into it until it relaxed. The omega beneath his hands was blissful.

'Maybe this is when it's going to happen…' Katsuki thought. 'He's calm and he definitely feels good. I could always just lightly suggest it and see how he reacts.' Katsuki kept massaging, a few quiet minutes passing as he planned his next move. 'I could start releasing alpha pheromones, that would certainly get his attention… but then he might just react because my pheromones cause the release on endorphins in him. No… I can't do anything that forces him to respond just out of instinct. I have to make sure he's really choosing it. I guess I could move my hand a little lower and see how he reacts as I get closer to his ass. If he wriggles uncomfortably or goes still, he doesn't want me to touch him there and he doesn't want to go further. If he leans into the touch an rolls his hips, then that means he wants to keep going.' Katsuki was decided. This was his tactic and it was perfect.

He rubbed his thumbs in gentle circles along the little omega's spine and slowly traveled lower. The boy didn't respond, he remained limp, his muscles completely soft and his breathing low. This was curious to the alpha. He was neither accepting nor rejecting the advances. 'Maybe he hasn't noticed' the blonde thought and went a little lower, massaging at the base of his back now where his plump cheeks began. There was still no response so he pushed just a little further, gently gripping the boy's ass. Even then, the boy laid there as if he were dead.

The alpha knitted his brows together as he realized that the purring had ceased. He carefully lifted up the omega's bangs to see that he was deep asleep. He took a closer look and noticed that his own pants had a dark, wet, spot where the omega had been drooling on them. He scowled. "So cute and still… so gross." He said, getting his arms around the thin boy and standing up, carrying Deku bridal-style. The boy was completely floppy-limbed. The message had put him into a dead sleep.

Katsuki laid the omega down in their bed before wiping his face with a washcloth. "You're a mess…" He whispered affectionately. "It's okay, I'm a mess too. Come on, let's get you a change of clothes." He found an old t-shirt in his drawers then began to undress the sleeping omega. The boy slept through it all soundly. A meteorite couldn't have woken him up.

Katsuki was clinical about the job, pulling off clothes without thinking lewd thoughts. When he got the omega stripped down to his underwear, he took a moment to examine his body. In the past month, he'd made significant progress. The bruises had disappeared, his weak ankle was strong, and his bones weren't as visible through his skin. That being said, he had a lot of progress still to make. 'If he'd tried to breed during that last heat, I don't know that he would have been able to get pregnant.' The alpha thought, measuring his hip bones with his fingers. 'He's pretty but I hope he can gain weight quickly. He looks so weak and vulnerable like this.'

Katsuki finished his brief exam and slipped the t-shirt on over the boy's head. The alpha showered, grossed out by the wet mark on his thigh, then joined Deku in bed. The omega immediately sensed his warmth and cuddled into him. It was so easy for them to sleep in each other's arms.

Katsuki woke up bright and early the next morning as always. Deku hated getting up so early but he forced himself to. He dressed without realizing that someone else had taken him to bed and put him in pajamas. Katsuki made himself a shake then handed Deku a coffee and banana before they hit the road. The first appointment of the day was Tsuyu Asui, a nice omega who's mate was particularly successful. Katsuki never had issues with this client. Deku just sat aside during the session, going fairly unnoticed.

After Tsuyu came Katsuki's least favorite client. He and Deku had agreed in the car that Deku would wait until after the session to chat with the girl. She entered wearing spandex leggings and a sports bra, her blonde in messy buns. Mr. Dabi and Ms. Ashido were at her side again. The omega assistant was constantly snapping photos.

"Hi, Katsuki~" She greeted sweetly. She was quick to notice the greenette eyeing her from across the room. "Oh, you brought someone? Is that your nephew?" She asked, waving at the omega. She could smell him, she knew he was the omega that Katsuki was always talking about.

Katsuki scowled. "That's Midoriya, my mate. He asked to meet with you after the session." Katsuki explained in a warning tone.

"Isn't it a little unprofessional to bring him here?" She asked with a giggle. "Well, I suppose I'll let it slide. I always have time for my fans, right?" She peeked at the angry greenette.

She behaved worse in front of Deku. She had so much anger and resentment towards him. 'Katsuki chose that omega? Really? He's so skinny and weak-looking. His nails are unmanicured, he has bags under his eyes, and it looks like he didn't even put on makeup! What omega with dignity leaves the house like that! How did he get an alpha like Katsuki? I try a million times harder than he does. I bet he's a slut. You don't have to worry about looks if you're just putting out all the time.' She thought.

The blonde omega continuously encroached on the alpha's personal space, showing of to Dabi and Midoriya that she could and would get what she wanted. Katsuki kept moving away from her. He'd put down a yoga mat and instruct her to stay on the mat but she always managed to wander off of it. Training her was like trying to hold a squirming cat- the successes were minimal and short-lived.

At one point during the session, she was doing sit-ups and the alpha was kneeling on her feet by her request. She wasn't getting enough attention. Katsuki was avoiding all of her advances, Midoriya was sitting by quietly, and Dabi was just scrolling through his phone. The frustrated omega decided to take her games up to the next level. She moved her knee to grind against Katsuki's groin.

Katsuki shot to his feet, his face red with anger and embarrassment. This brash movement got the attention of the greenette who sat up straight. Toga played it off. "Sorry, Katsuki, my leg just wobbled. I didn't mean to…" She said, sitting up.

Katsuki hated this. He hated having to work with someone like her and more than that, he hated that Izuku had to see his alpha being made a fool of. There was nothing he could do, he looked weak. "I'm not holding your feet for you anymore." He said decidedly. He whished he could tell her off or kick her out but it wasn't an option. "Do them on your own or don't do them at all."

She flopped back down on her back. "I don't see why you're overreacting like this over a little accident, Katsuki. Besides, even if it wasn't an accident, it's not like you minded. You want something to happen between us, don't you? Isn't that what all these cameras are for? You're hoping to make yourself a movie, aren't you?"

"They're security cameras." The alpha growled through tightly clenched teeth. "They're to protect my innocence in case you make drama."

The girl laughed. "Your innocence? You don't look so innocent when your cock is hard from just watching your client." She said. She knew it was a lie. When her knee had met his groin, she felt that it was completely flaccid but his little omega didn't know that.

Katsuki turned beet red. "What the hell are you talking about!?" He barked.

She giggled again. "Oops, I shouldn't have said that in front of your omega. No one likes to hear that their alpha is getting hard for other omegas. You shouldn't have brought him. Then, we could play like we usually do~"

Katsuki turned with shocked eyes to Deku. 'He's not believing any of this, is he? Nothing has ever happened between us!'

The boy's green eyes reflected his shock and confusion. He stood up from his seat and looked to the clock on the wall. He cleared his throat, putting on a calm façade. He wanted to physically attack this girl but he remembered his mom's advice. She wasn't actually trying to steal Katsuki, she was just trying to get the attention of her body guard. It was obvious. "There's only about ten minutes left of this session. If you don't mind… I'd like to have my chat with Ms. Himiko a little early."

Katsuki nodded. "Yeah, I'm done for the day." He agreed.

"You can't just end a session ten minutes early." Toga protested, getting to her feet.

"Who says? The contract? You've broken that contract a hundred times. You can't seriously want to stick to it now." With that, he picked up his weights and began cleaning up the studio.

Deku approached the girl. "Let's talk somewhere private. Katsuki has a little office." He said.

She smiled, her usual calm, cute, demeanor shining through. "That's not really necessary, right? If you want an autograph, I can just do it here." She asked.

"I don't want an autograph." Deku glanced to Dabi who still couldn't give two shits about what was going on. Toga noticed the glance and got possessive, scowling slightly.

"Then why are you bothering me?" She asked, dropping her fake politeness. "You're here to pick a fight with me over Katsuki, right? Go home. I don't play with little puppies like you."

Deku knitted his eye brows together but remained composed, reminding himself that she would go away if he helped her get what she wanted. "I bet it drives you crazy wondering how a puppy like me landed an alpha like Katsuki because, after all, I'm just a little puppy while you're a big, bright, fox, right?"

The girl's face turned red and she crossed her arms. "You said it, not me."

"I can show you how to get any alpha you want." Deku said with confidence, his voice quiet. He could see by the look in her eyes that his offer was luring her. She seemed the tiniest bit interested.

Still, she acted tough. "Thanks, but I don't need you sticking your life in my personal affairs. You couldn't begin to understand my life."

"I think I have a pretty good grasp of it…" Deku looked to Dabi again. "That's the alpha you're in love with but, because the love wasn't reciprocated immediately or in the exact way you wanted, you're trying to force the affection out of him by making moves on other alphas. Was I close?"

The girl's eyes widened and she blushed. "You need to watch your mouth." She threatened. If the press found out and made a big fuss, her manager would get mad and replace Dabi.

"I'm going into Katsuki's office. You can follow me if you want. If you don't, you can go home and watch your alpha be swept away by some other omega." Deku walked off into Katsuki's small office. He knew he had hooked the girl. He'd offered her a solution to her biggest problem.

Sure enough, the blonde omega followed and closed the door behind herself. "If you're going to tell me just to offer my body, then I'm out. I know other omegas do that sort of thing but I have some dignity." She said.

There was no doubt in Deku's mind that she had tried and failed to offer sex to the alpha. He decided not to call her on her bluff. "It's not going to work to offer Mr. Dabi sex if he doesn't love you first." Deku pointed out. He noticed the girl growing angry so he quickly put a positive spin on it. "It's quite possible that he loves you now but you're just not giving him an opportunity to show you or maybe, you're not recognizing how he gives love."

"That's stupid. If he loved me, I would know it. Do you think I'm fuck'n dumb?"

"I didn't say that." He pointed out. "I'm saying that we all show our affection differently. I like to hug and kiss and cuddle while, for Katsuki, he shows it a lot more casually just by the tones of his speech and his subtle body language. You can't judge everyone by the same measuring stick. Now, I don't know Mr. Dabi but he doesn't seem like the recite poetry and kiss your feet type. Maybe he's been telling you all along but, because you're waiting for a big, loud, gesture, you've been missing it."

She seemed a little more willing to listen now. "Like what? How do you know when the alpha is trying to show their affection?"

"It all has to do with knowing the alpha. If you're going to be his omega, you have to know him better than anyone else, maybe even himself. You two should know each other so well that you can communicate in dead silence. How often do you try to learn about him without saying anything about yourself?"

Toga thought about it and slowly, her demeanor changed. Her hostility started to drain away. Behind the craziness and egoism, she was a sensitive and insecure girl. "There's never any reason to talk about him… whenever we're together, it's because I'm doing something and he needs to support me."

"If you treat him like a supporting actor, he's only ever going to have a minor role in your life. You have to show him that you see him as a person, not a convenience or an employee. You also have to stop coping with rejection by trying to make him mad. I bet how you're acting with Katsuki isn't making him jealous at all. It's probably just making him see you as pathetic and childish. Plus, sexual contact is special. If he sees you using it carelessly as a tool to make him angry, he's going to think it's something that could never be special between you two."

"This is slut-shaming." The girl pointed out, scowling a bit.

"I'm telling you how it is." Deku said. "When you love someone, you want there to be special things that belong to only you two. There should be secrets only you two know and physical things that only happen between you two. It creates a bond because it makes you two a unit."

"Not everyone is a virgin until their wedding day, you fuck'n pilgrim." She grumbled.

"I'm not saying that. I'm saying you have to respect your sexuality not only as part of you but as part of your bond. A close friend of mine had had sex many times before marrying her husband but regardless of that, she respected herself and her husband by keeping her sexuality between them. If you give it out just to play games, then does it really mean anything?" He asked.

Her eyes drifted into her lap, a little ashamed of her behavior. She knew Deku was right. Dabi had seen her use sex as a tool just like a screw driver or a wrench. That's not what she wanted him to think of her. She wanted him to think her body was special. "I thought your said this wasn't about sex…" She said.

"You knew I was going to bring it up. After all, you're grinding on my alpha. Save yourself the embarrassment and just stop trying to put the moves on him. It's not working on Mr. Dabi. In fact, he's probably growing to resent you because of this kind of behavior." Deku said, his tone more serious. Ultimately, this was the purpose of his mission. He wanted her to stop bothering his alpha.

Toga was silent for a while before finally speaking again. He voice had grown soft. "I don't know how else to get his attention… It seems like, when I'm not a chore to him, I'm just invisible. He talks to other omegas and I'm afraid he'll forget me all together. I'd rather be a nuisance than forgotten." She admitted.

Deku felt empathy for the girl. "Stop rolling on the floor, begging for attention like a child. The reason he's ignoring you is because he's punishing your bad behavior. When you're acting badly like you were just now with Katsuki, he pulled out his phone to silently say 'You're not worth my time when you behave like this'. Do you understand? If you stop all the games, I bet you he'll start to set aside time for you."

"You don't know that…"

"I have a good feeling that I'm right. Stop trying to force him to look at you and start letting him choose to. Don't try to make him jealous of other alphas or try to badmouth other omegas to make him like you better because it won't work. What will work is getting to know him, listening to him, and letting him love you in his own way."

"Can't I speed up the process with presents?" She asked.

"If he becomes attached to you because of your wealth, then he's just a sugar baby, not a mate. You should still give him presents but not things like cars and watches. Any sacrifice intended to make someone else happy is a present. Give him your time. Give him appropriate compliments. Give him patience and loyalty. Write him a note or bring him a coffee without making a big deal about the money or effort. Those are the presents that matter."

Toga considered Deku's advice. It seemed too simple. Her whole life, she'd been taught that money and attention meant love but now, Deku was telling her that she needed to stop spending money and seeking attention to get the love she wanted. It was a completely different approach but she was desperate enough to try anything. "So I should just give him… myself."

The greenette nodded.

"What if he doesn't like who I am? I'm not exactly a nice person and I'm not very smart either. I haven't really taken many classes because of my career."

"I think you don't even really know who you are. You probably know your public façade better than you know yourself. I understand why that's scary. Recently, I didn't know myself at all and I was certain that Katsuki couldn't love me because there was nothing to love. I thought I was nothing. Through knowing him, I came to know myself. I have a suspicion that it'll be the same for you. As you get to know Mr. Dabi, you'll learn about yourself."

"Can I even fix the damage I've already done? He's seen the worst sides of me."

Deku nodded and gave the girl a reassuring smile. He didn't hate or resent her anymore. He was still annoyed by how she treated his alpha but at least now, he understood her. "If he's seen the worst, then there's nothing to be afraid of, right? I would start by showing him that you can responsibly handle your mistakes. You should bring Katsuki a modest gift and apologize formally for your behavior. Then show Mr. Dabi that you've changed. Take those training sessions seriously."

Toga took mental notes as Deku spoke.

"Next, ask him out casually. Invite him to do something non-work-related like getting coffee or just relaxing at the park. During that time, ask him about himself and truly listen. If he doesn't want to talk, don't force him to. Be yourself and let him be himself."

The girl pulled out phone out of her pocket and handed it over to Izuku. "Put your number in there" she ordered. She needed someone to consult. She needed another omega, someone who didn't care about her celebrity status.

Deku kept his hands folded and looked at the phone. "Sorry, I don't usually associate with people who just order me around." He said.

The girl rolled her eyes but played along because, although she wouldn't admit it, she did have some respect for Izuku. "If it's not a bother, could I please have your number?" She asked with a melodramatic voice.

The greenette smiled and accepted the phone, punching his phone number into her contacts. "Do we have an understanding now?" He asked, handing the phone back. "This time, I'm willing to understand and help you but if you keep messing with Katsuki, I won't be forgiving."

Toga nodded, putting her phone away. "Hey… what I said earlier… I was just trying to start trouble. He wasn't hard and he has never once reciprocated by advances." She said.

Izuku smiled. "I know. I trust him. When you said it, I knew immediately that you were lying. Thanks for owning up to that."

The girl studied him, amazed by his trust. He didn't doubt his alpha for one second. She wondered if she could trust Dabi like that too. She felt a desire to be nice this omega. He had been nice to her. He hadn't treated her like a celebrity or a monster but just as a very confused person. 'Are we friends? No way. He definitely doesn't want to be my friend after how I've been treating him and his alpha. He's only being nice to get me away from Katsuki' she thought.

The spunky, green-eyed omega smiled at her. "I have a more experienced omega friend that I turn to for advice all the time. Us omegas have to support each other, right?" He asked. "I have to head out now, Katsuki is going to have his next appointment soon."

She nodded and they both left the office. Before Toga and her team left, she gave a polite bow to Katsuki and thanked him for his hard work. The gestures completely shocked both alphas.

"You really scared her shitless, didn't you?" Katsuki asked Izuku once the girl was out of earshot.

"I just talked to her." The boy insisted.

"Hey…" Katsuki's arm gently wrapped around Deku's waist and pulled him closer. "I'm sorry I tried to keep you from talking to her. You proved me wrong." He confessed. How was it that Deku was constantly more amazing than Katsuki expected?

The omega smiled. "Don't get me wrong… I war pretty close to fighting her."

Katsuki chuckled. "You would have won, No doubt."

"She's really not a bad girl, we may even be friends now. I think celebrities have their own struggles. Everyone flocks around her and loves her because she's earning them money or because they're attracted to her. She's never had to earn love in a more authentic way before so she was going about it in all the wrong ways."

Katsuki wrapped his other arm around his omega. "You're magic." He insisted, making the boy laugh.

"I'm not." Deku answered, nuzzling into Katsuki's chest. He could still smell whiffs of Toga on him but it didn't bother him as much as before. It did, however, annoy him that the girl had touched his alpha in ways that even he hadn't gotten to. He wanted to just raise his leg right now and rub it against Katsuki's groin to make them even but he knew that wasn't fair. Katsuki hadn't asked to be harassed by Toga and it would complicate things if he got hard before his next appointment. "How many more appointments do you have today?" Izuku asked.

"Five." He answered. "I'll take you home after the next one, okay?"

"I want to stay with you." Deku complained.

"It won't be fun for you."

"Neither will sitting at home."

"Then why don't you go out with Ochaco?"

"Without you?"

"If you want to. You can take care of yourself out there, right?" Katsuki remembered what Ochaco had told him about encouraging the omega to go out on his own. 'It'll be good for him' Katsuki thought. 'It'll build confidence'.

"I don't know… remember what happened at IKEA?"

"Now you know not to take flyers from strangers. Besides, Ochaco will be there with you too. Here, give me your phone." He requested.

Izuku handed him the phone. The alpha was silent for a minute or two before handing the phone back with a new app installed. "There. It's a Rideshare app. This company is really safe, they specialize in transporting omegas. It's all set up so whenever you want to get home, you just choose the home button like this. See? I already put our address in. If you want me to take you home instead, I will but I think you'd have fun with Ochaco."

Deku looked at the app then smiled up to Katsuki. "Okay… I think I'll go out with Ochaco, then. I still need to do some Christmas shopping."

Katsuki leaned down and kissed his little omega softly. He was happy to have this boy. No one else was like him. The next client arrived just a minute later, lugging along his baby in a carrier. The baby was fairly patient and usually slept through the training sessions.

"Hi, Mr. Bakugo." The client, Kaminari Denki, greeted. He set down the heavy carrier and immediately, Izuku was peering in curiously. The baby stared back at Deku. "Oh, sorry, are you guys finishing up a session?" Kaminari asked.

"Oh, no, this is Midoriya, my mate." Katsuki explained.

The omega happily shook Izuku's hand and introduced himself. "Is it okay if he stays with you? He shouldn't be fussy, he just ate."

Deku easily agreed and spent the rest of the session holding the sleeping baby and thinking about having his own in the next few years. He wasn't sure if, next year, when his heat came around again, they'd be ready then. He didn't want to spend another heat in a hotel, he wanted to stay home with Katsuki. Then again, he could only stay home if both of them were completely willing to have a baby. It was something they'd have to discuss a year from now.

After the session, Katsuki drove Deku to a café where he met up with Ochaco. The two omegas hugged and kissed, happy to see each other again. Although Ochaco was so kind, she didn't have many friends. People tended to be turned off by the way she dressed. They thought she was a crazy traditionalist so they avoided her. Izuku and Katsuki were some of the few who actually asked her about her coverings and listened to her response.

The two omegas got drinks from the café and went to walk the small city. Deku bought a few gifts for his parents and Katsuki's family just in case they got to see them. The greenette stopped in his tracks as they walked past a lingerie store. The omegas on the advertisements in the windows looked so beautiful. Ochaco stopped too and looked at the store. "You want to go in there?" She asked.

Izuku blushed. "Umm… I don't know… can we?"

The girl giggled softly. "Let's go, I want to look for something too." She hooked arms with Izuku and pulled him inside with her. The store was fairly classy and clean, which surprised Deku.

"Is this… a sex shop?" He whispered to his friend.

"No. This is just an underwear store. There are some more… _elaborate_ things in the corner over there but they don't really sell costumes or toys here. If you'd like, there's a sex shop pretty close to here. I can take you there after this but, in my opinion, I think you should wait until you and Katsuki are a little more experienced to shop there. First of all, you don't really know what you want and secondly, alphas are pretty suspicious of stuff like that. If you just showed up in a maid outfit, you'd probably scare him. You have to build up trust with him first then slowly introduce him to bedroom things."

"Do you shop there?" Deku asked, surprised.

"Not that often. You have to be at least 18 to make a purchase there so I only go with Iida. It kind of takes the fun out of it when your alpha is right there with you, getting a sneak peak of everything you purchase. It makes him really uncomfortable to go there, too."

"Oh… I always forget how young you are. I always think of you as being older than me because you're so experienced." Izuku admitted. After all, his friend had such dramatic life stories.

"Really?" She smiled. "I love that you consider me experienced because I always feel that way about you. You've had so much schooling while I can barely read traffic signs. To me, you're the mature one here."

The greenette blushed, flattered. He held her hand and gently squeezed it affectionately. She happily squeezed back. Together, they wandered the store. Deku curiously looked over the selection. He picked a bralette off the rack. Was this right? He had no idea. He didn't have breasts but this is what he saw on the advertisements.

The brunette looked to him with a smile. "There's a boy's section, Izuku." She explained.

He blushed brightly and put it back on the rack, embarrassed. Ochaco led him to the boy's section. She helped him choose a few pairs of underwear that would look good and be comfortable. Izuku was thankful that they weren't too sexy, just nice. Some had little strips of mesh or lace but ultimately, they were just underwear.

"Let's go to that corner." Ochaco suggested, pointing to where the sexier selection was kept. Izuku nodded and followed her. As she had promised him, there wasn't anything too cheesy or crass. It was all nice bedroom wear but unlike the underwear in his arms, these ones weren't meant to be worn all day. They were special, they suggested a special night. Ochaco sensed that her friend was a little intimidated by them. "We don't have to buy anything here today, I just want to look" she reassured.

Ochaco picked something out for herself- a thin lacy dress that came with little reindeer ears. It was cute and classy but also sufficiently suggestive. "I'm going to the check out." She told Izuku, knowing he needed some room. "I'll wait for you there."

When she left, he felt a little more comfortable pulling things off the rack and holding them up to himself. 'I can't buy something like this… it wouldn't even look good on me. What if Katsuki is embarrassed instead of turned on?' the boy thought. Just then, his phone began buzzing. He pulled it out and answered the call from his alpha. "Hey, Kacchan." He greeted, wondering if the blonde could sense where he was.

"Hey, Deku. Look, I know I said I was going to be home around six but something came up and I have to take care of it. I probably won't get home until around eight. Is there enough in the fridge for you to make dinner for yourself?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, there's plenty. What happened?"

"Nothing. A client of mine just moved banks so the check they sent me won't go through. I have to head to the bank and get it figured out."

"Oh, okay."

"Are you still out with Ochaco?"

"Yeah, we're just finishing up Christmas shopping." The omega's face was turning red.

"Really? You guys have been at that for a few hours now."

"Don't rush me and just trust my process." Izuku smiled.

Katsuki knew full well that omegas tended to be picky shoppers. "Fine, fine. Get home safe."

"Love you." The boy reminded.

Katsuki blushed. "L-love you too. See you at home."

"Bye." Deku said before the line went dead. He looked over the rack of lingerie again. 'Kacchan seemed stressed. He's always working so hard… If he came home and I was waiting for him in one of these… I bet I could help him relax. But if I wear something like this, I'm pretty much saying that I'm ready to have sex. Am I? I mean, I love him and I want to do that with him but… I'm scared. What if I can't fit him? What if I have to stop? What if I embarrass myself? Is Katsuki experienced? Will he compare me to someone who does it better than me?'

There was a lot to worry about. He stood there, staring at the rack silently for minutes on end before finally reaching a resolution. 'I love Katsuki… I trust him completely and I'm willing to give him my body too. I know he'll take care of me, I know he won't leave. I know that he loves me back.'

With that, the omega selected something special and added it to his basket. He had chosen a thin, white, lace, leotard. The lace was sewn with a delicate snowflake pattern and was a little more modest. It wrapped from his throat down to his groin with a silk ribbon in the back that held it on and exposed the flesh of his back.

He remembered something beautiful that Ochaco had told him before about wearing white the first time. She had explained that, when sacrifices are laid on the alter in a church, everything is dressed in white to show pure intention. In the same way, an omega sacrifices something important, their body, that first time out of love and trust for their alpha. As a Buddhist, Deku didn't really know much about the traditions of other faiths but he liked her explanation. White felt like a beginning. No expectation, no rush.

He bought it along with the underwear without showing Ochaco what he had chosen. For this one, he wanted Katsuki to be the only one who saw it.

The two omegas visited a few more stores before heading home. On the other side of town, Katsuki sat at a little desk in a travel agency. He had lied about the bank visit to keep the trip he was planning a secret from Deku. Although he had purchased two round trip tickets to Alaska days ago, the agent had called him back because she had accidentally ordered business class seats for him when he had asked for economy and now the economy seats were sold out. Katsuki was quite frustrated as he argued with a supervisor, saying that he wouldn't accept a refund or a flight change.

When he finally left the travel agency, he was fuming with annoyance. After hours of arguing, he convinced the company to pay the extra fee since it was their mistake in the first place. The alpha drove home tired and annoyed. He was just looking forward to getting home and seeing Deku. Being with the little omega was always relaxing to him. He figured they'd watch some Deep Thunder and he'd have a drink before he told Deku about their trip. The boy would, no doubt, be ecstatic.

Back at home, the omega in question was nervously waiting on the couch. He'd washed his purchases and was wearing the special, white, lingerie under one of Katsuki's hoodies. He'd gotten nervous and decided to cover up. It was still clear that he wasn't wearing pants and, if you looked close enough, you could spot the white lace clinging to his ass.

He had brushed his hair and tried his hardest to make it look nice. He didn't own any makeup or hair product so, if it weren't for the lingerie, he'd look completely normal. He nervously fiddled with the hem of the hoodie when, finally, he heard a key in the front door. His heart raced and his face flushed. Now was the time.

Katsuki tiredly unlocked the door, completely unaware of what was waiting for him inside.


	12. Yours

Katsuki opened the door to find his omega waiting for him on the couch. That much was expected. What had the alpha particularly stunned was the fact that the omega wore a baggy hoodie with nothing underneath. Katsuki's eyes rolled up the thin, milky, legs until he spotted just a little bit of lace poking out from the hoodie.

' _Lace_ ' Katsuki thought. 'Fuck…Not wearing pants is one thing, lace is another. Lace is suggestive, right? What the hell is he doing? Does he know what he's doing?' The alpha thought, his face warm and his throat tight. He cleared his throat, quickly closing the door behind him. No one else could see Deku like this. No one but him.

"D-Deku…" He greeted.

"You're tired… right?" The omega asked, equally flustered. He pulled his knees up to make space on the couch for Katsuki. "Sit down."

That sent a shiver down the alpha. He had to know right now what was going on. If Deku didn't want to get physical, then this had to stop now. Katsuki was well aware that he was standing at the top of a slope. If he went forward, he'd find himself rolling down, getting totally engrossed in the situation. The only way to stop it was by turning back now. Katsuki sat, his eyes passing over his delicious omega again. This time, he got a little better glimpse of what was under that hoodie. White lace hugged the boy's ass. He wanted to push Deku down and pull off the hoodie to see the outfit. The baggy top only increased the suspense that was pooling in his stomach.

"You look good…" The words slipped out of Katsuki's mouth thoughtlessly. Why was it so hard to drag his eyes off the omega's body and keep them focused on his face? He was like a dog sitting in front of his dinner without permission to eat. "Deku…" He cleared his throat again. "Wh-what are you doing?" He had to be blunt. If Deku didn't want to have sex today, Katsuki had to stop himself now.

The omega's face was beet red. He was so afraid that the alpha would reject his advance. He was afraid that Katsuki would be turned off by this behavior, that he'd think he's slutty. He plucked up his courage, assuring himself that Katsuki loved him, and readjusted so that he was sitting on his legs. "You sounded so stressed out earlier… so I thought this was something I could do to help you relax." The omega explained.

Katsuki's heart sunk a bit. "Deku… look… you're beautiful. Fuck, you're gorgeous, and I appreciate the sentiment but… if you're only offering this to help me… then let's wait some more. Of course I want you. I have since the beginning. I just think… I want us to wait until it's for both of us."

Deku shook his head. "No, Kacchan. That's not what I meant. You asked me before if I could say that I truly loved you. Now I'm saying… _I do_. I know our relationship is still young and every day, I'll love you even more but right now… I do truly love you. There's no doubt of that in my mind. I want this… do you?"

Crimson eyes held the boy tightly in their gaze. He was positive that this was his omega. There would never be another, this is the one he was meant to love. The alpha nodded. " _I do_." He confirmed in a smooth voice.

The dazzling greenette smiled at his response, giggling softly as relief washed over him. His fears were gone. His alpha accepting him made him feel confident and happy. He looked up to Katsuki, wearing his contagious smile. "In that case… then make me yours tonight, Katsuki."

That was all Katsuki needed to let go of his careful restraint. He cupped the omega's smiling face and brought him in for a deep, loving, kiss. The omega shivered happily, relaxing into Katsuki's touch. He instinctually parted his lips, easily reciprocating everything Katsuki gave him. The alpha broke the kiss when he noticed that the lips against his kept curling into a smile and breathy giggles were escaping.

The omega covered his mouth, trying to mask the string of giggles. The blonde quirked and eyebrow. "What's so funny?" He asked.

"Nothing… I'm just happy." The boy explained. "I was so anxious before. I gave myself a stomach ache from worrying but… now I'm going to be yours. I'm going to someone's omega."

Katsuki chuckled. "You were mine even before this." He looked over the boy's body. He was so desperately curious about what was under that hoodie. "I don't know why you worried so much. How could I say no to this?"

The omega blushed. "I bought something special for you…" He said, raising the hem of the hoodie just an inch or two, showing the alpha that his hips were dressed in lace. Katsuki drooled at the little tease. He immediately smashed their lips together again as he pushed Deku onto his back. The boy gasped slightly at the show of dominance.

Katsuki's strong hands held the boy's hips before the right hand started traveling beneath the hoodie. His calloused fingers brushed over Izuku's abdomen then swept over his ribs. Katsuki was teasing himself, pushing the suspense even farther. It made him want to rip that hoodie off even more. When his fingertips ran across a sensitive nipple, the omegas body twitched excitedly.

Katsuki broke the kiss to grin down at Deku. "You react like that from just one touch?" He teased, circling his middle finger around the little bud.

Izuku gasped and arched his back slightly. Katsuki was amazed by how perfectly the body's body responded to his own. Every touch was reciprocated as if they were performing a well-choreographed dance. Katsuki tested the other nipple and found it equally sensitive. This time, the boy muttered a light " _A-Ah_ …" when the alpha gently pinched it.

The suspense was too much now. Katsuki growled lowly as he pulled the hoodie off and cast it aside. Nothing could distract him from his investigation, not even a nuclear attack. He had seen Deku barely dressed before, he had even seen him naked multiple times but never like this before. Those other times, it was clinical and procedural. This time, the body strewn before him was there for him to play with, to taste, to savor. He sat back on his haunches and looked over the beautiful omega.

"You're so damn pretty…" He whispered in admiration. Deku was sexy but more than that, he was beautiful. His body was a precious gift, something no one deserved. The alpha leaned in and pressed a loving kiss to Deku's clothed belly before meeting the boy's eyes. "Is it really okay for me to have this?" He asked.

Izuku smiled softly, cupping one of the alpha's cheeks. "You're the only person I want to give this to." He assured. "You'll keep me forever, right?"

The man pressed another soft kiss to the boy's abdomen, his eyelids dropping closed as he whispered, "Of course… I'll marry you."

The omega's heart paused as those words met his ears. "Ka-Kacchan…"

The embarrassed alpha diverted his gaze. "Don't say anything… We've only known each other a month, it's not time to talk about this. I just… I want you to know that that's always been the plan. I'm not going to do this with you then just drop you. I fully intend to…y'know…make this a forever situation."

When the alpha looked up again, he saw that the crybaby boy was holding tears in his eyes. Katsuki smiled and rolled his eyes before wiping Deku's cheeks gently with his thumbs. "Deku… y'know, some alphas are into their omegas crying during sex but that's not me. I'm going to have to see you smile again before I can do anything."

The omega held the alpha's hand to his cheek. He loved that touch. He loved the alpha in front of him. Katsuki would be his first and last alpha. He smiled. "I love you, Katsuki." The boy promised.

The two sets of lips met again, this time more gently. Each movement was slow and drenched in intense love. "I love you too, Izuku." The man whispered as his lips traveled down to the omega's throat.

The boy leaned his chin back, affording total access to his lover, who's head he held lovingly. "Call me Deku." He requested in a whisper. That was the name Katsuki had given him. That was the name of his heart.

"I love you, _Deku_." Katsuki corrected, hips lips leaving a soft trail across Deku's collar bone.

"Again." The boy said, his eye lids too heavy to open. Each little kiss was so light but they all felt amazing.

"I love you, Deku." The man repeated, his lips moving down the omega's sternum.

"One more time." He pleaded, feeling one strong hand slide around to his back while the other held onto his hip.

"I fuck'n love you, Deku." Katsuki insisted before taking one of the perky pink nipples into his mouth. He rolled his warm tongue over the lacy fabric, making the omega in his arms gasp and jolt.

"Ah! K-Kacchan…" He mewled.

Katsuki loved that sound. It was addicting to hearing his own name spill out of the greenette's mouth. He sucked at the bud for a moment before releasing it with a pop. The body below him responded with an adorable shiver. "You look cute as hell in this little outfit but… I really need to see you out of it."

The omega obeyed, rolling onto his stomach so that Katsuki would have access to the laced back. The little puzzle both annoyed and excited the alpha as he struggled to undo the ribbon without tearing the delicate lace garment. He managed to untie it then, with Deku's help, slipped it off. He threw it aside as the omega flipped onto his back, holding his arms out for an embrace. The alpha hastily accepted, leaning against the boy's fluttering chest, strong arms wrapped tightly around him, kissing him passionately. Before he knew it, his hips were moving, grinding rhythmically against the boy's naked groin.

Deku broke the kiss, whimpering with lust. The pressure to his front made his back envious. He had been leaking from the other side since Katsuki's hand first found its way under the hoodie.

Having his cock rubbed felt good, of course it did, but the real pleasure came from the other side. He wanted to get to that part before the sexual tension became unbearable. He gently pushed against Katsuki's chest. "Sit back" He said.

The alpha curiously followed the command, sitting back against the arm of the couch. Deku followed, getting on all fours and looking over his lover's body. He couldn't wait until that big, muscular, form was on top of his, dominating him. He loved this body.

He pulled off the alpha's jacket then his shirt. They smelled of sweat and strangers. The omega threw them off the couch before beginning his own little investigation. He placed one kiss on the man's strong jaw line, one of his adam's apple, one on his collar bone, another on his shoulder, then his bicep. He leaned back and ran his fingers along the toned muscles of the alpha, his eyes following not far behind. Finally, his index finger traveled alone down his six pack and to the hem of his pants. Both men were breathing heavily.

The omega palmed his lover's erection once through his sweatpants. It hadn't been touched yet but it was already so hard. The alpha let out a deep sigh at the touch, well aware that more was coming. Deku ran his hand up and down the clothed member a few times. It was bigger than his toy. His mouth watered when he thought about receiving this. It was so different from the toy. It was warm and it pulsed. Having enough of the suspense, the omega finally hooked a finger on the elastic waist of the pants and pulled them up from Katsuki's hips.

What he saw when he peeked in surprised and intimidated him. 'That's not going to fit' he thought as he released the waist of the pants. He had seen it flaccid in the shower but even that couldn't prepare him for what it looked like when it was excited. The boy blushed and diverted his gaze.

"D-Deku?" The alpha mumbled, unsure of why everything had suddenly stopped.

"Nothing's wrong." The boy answered immediately. That made his lover quirk his brow.

"What? What's wrong? You don't want to go any further?" He asked.

"That's not it…it's just… you're kind of big. You know that, right?"

"Huh?" Katsuki peeked under his waist band. It looked normal to him.

"Well, yeah, but it's not always like this. It gets bigger when-"

"I know, I know." Deku shook his head. "What I mean is… you're kind of big and I'm kind of small…"

"Oh." Katsuki realized what he meant. "You're worried it won't fit?"

The boy nodded.

"Here, I want to show you something." The alpha searched for his phone which he found between the couch cushions then did a quick google search. "Here, look. This is Shaquille O'Neil, he's a famous American basketball player. This lady next to him is his omega." He explained, showing Deku the images.

The omega's jaw dropped to the floor. He inspected the pictures. The woman only came up to her alpha's elbow. 'Do they actually have sex? They must, right?' He wondered.

Katsuki chuckled at Deku's expression. "It'll work." He assured. "Our bodies are meant to do this."

Deku handed back the phone, which the alpha immediately tossed onto the coffee table. He nodded, a little more assured. "You're going to take care of me, right?"

"Of course. We'll go slow. If you need to stop at any time, we will." The alpha promised.

The omega nodded. "I trust you, Kacchan" he said with a nod. He kissed Katsuki briefly then turned his attention back to the man's waist. He pulled down the sweatpants a little more bravely.

"Hey… be honest. Have you done this before?" The alpha asked.

Deku shook his head. "Only with a toy and even then, I only use that during heat. Normally, it's just my fingers. Have you?" He helped Katsuki out of the pants and tossed them aside.

Katsuki shook his head as well. "We'll figure this out together."

"You seriously haven't had sex before?" That was a bit surprising to Deku.

"Do I look like a playboy?"

"No… it's just… you must have so many omegas around you all the time."

"Well, I would have done it a lot earlier if any of them were like you." The alpha said with a chuckle, pulling the omega's face in for another kiss. When they parted, Deku made eye contact with his alpha.

"I want try something…" He said. The man responded with a nod. Next thing he knew, the fluffy tuft of green hair sank down Katsuki's body, stopping at his hips. Little hands felt over the alpha's muscular thighs and hip bones. Katsuki shivered.

"Let me know if it doesn't feel good." The boy said before leaning in and giving a little lick to the head of Katsuki's erection. He'd never done this and he had never really been interested in porn so he wasn't really sure how it was supposed to go. He just knew that it would help Katsuki get ready if he would put it in this mouth.

His flat, pink, tongue lapped at the head a few more times, getting familiar with the taste before palming up the whole length. He was rewarded with a subtle " _nngh_ " from the alpha. The moan encouraged Deku to get a little more adventurous.

The omega took the tip into his mouth. 'How much do I put in?' He wondered. 'The whole thing, right?' Without a word of warning, he lowered his head to the base of Katsuki's cock. He felt the warm appendage sliding down to the back of his relaxed throat. The alpha groaned out in pleasure.

Deku pulled off, leaving the twitching member cloaked in his saliva. "Was that right?" He asked.

" _Holy fuck, Deku_." The alpha said, a slight pant lingering on his breath. "Did you just deepthroat on the first try?"

"Deep throat? What does that mean?"

"When your lips go all the way to the base, that's deep throating. It usually takes practice to do that. It didn't hurt, did it?"

The omega shook his head, embarrassed. 'Shit. That was a slutty thing to do, right? Is he disgusted?' the boy wondered. "Sorry… do you think I'm gross?"

"What? _No_. Deku, that felt fuck'n fantastic." He assured.

Deku smiled. His alpha liked it. He had done good. As an omega, he thrived on praise. Without hesitation, he lowered his head and let the cock sink all the way back down his throat. He wasn't sure why he didn't find it very difficult, probably because he didn't know it was supposed to be hard in the first place. If he had, his throat would probably be tight and he'd gag just out of panic. As it was, he found himself burying his nose in Katsuki's pubic area with only a bit of discomfort.

The alpha emitted a low, gravely moan. Deku loved hearing that. He pulled his head up to the base before taking it deep again. This action earned him even more rewarding moans from his alpha so he did it over and over again until he found that the man's hips were jerking up into his mouth, searching for more. Deku immediately pulled off. He didn't want to waste that on his mouth when another part of him needed the attention more.

He looked into the clouded-over, lustful, crimson eyes of his alpha. "Help me get ready." He requested. "I want some too."

The alpha nodded. "Hold on, I have to find my lube."

"Lube? Why?" The boy cocked his head.

"So I can get my fingers in." He explained.

"I make my own." The naïve boy countered, touching his puckered, pink, hole with his pointer finger then raising it to show the alpha that it was dripping with slick.

Katsuki blushed, again amazed by this perfect boy. "Christ… you really do…"

Deku blushed back, realizing that he was accidentally being a bit slutty again. He diverted the conversation. "Can we go to the room?" He asked.

"Of course." Katsuki affirmed before the two hustled to their shared bed. "I'm donating that little futon in your room." Katsuki said as he climbed into bed. "You sleep in here from now on."

The omega giggled. "I was never going back to that bed anyways." He joined Katsuki in bed and immediately, the larger man was on top of him, kissing him passionately. He held his jaw firmly, demanding the kisses that Deku was more than willing to give. After a few minutes, he broke the kiss and stared into the glistening emerald eyes, his aura heavy with dominance.

"Look into my eyes while I do this." He ordered, his hand resting of the omega's thigh. "Don't look away."

The boy swallowed hard and nodded. Katsuki's irises were as pigmented and intoxicating as red wine. Slowly, rough fingertips trialed over the sensitive skin of the boy's thigh before reaching the hole. It was burning hot and twitching with need. Its owner was pouring out lust pheromones like the most electrifying perfume. Katsuki hungrily filled his lungs with the sweet smell.

The omega whimpered impatiently as Katsuki's pointer finger rimmed his asshole. Finally, it pushed into the warm pocket and Deku's muscles immediately started squeezing, trying to pull it deeper. He needed more. He needed some relief for those tight, aching, muscles.

Katsuki let his finger get pulled in. He thrusted it a few times, earning the greenette's desperate moans. He could tell it wasn't quite enough so it wasn't long until he added a second finger. The omega arched his back, his eyes clouded with pleasure and need. Katsuki loved watching his expression change as he pushed the two digits in deeply, curling them into the impatient muscles.

Deku's eyes shut tight as he moaned "Ah! Ah, Kacchan… like that… please!"

" _Eyes open_." The man reminded with an especially deliberate thrust of his fingers. Those beautiful green irises were lost in an animalistic drive for pleasure.

Deku's body was adjusting quickly. He added his third and final finger after just a minute of scissoring. "Is this okay?" He asked.

In response, Deku grabbed the man's head and brought him in for a heated, sloppy, kiss. He moaned against Katsuki's lips, the fingers picking up speed inside of him. Everything in Deku screamed for more, for the _real thing_. He wanted Katsuki fully. He wanted that pleasure, that bonding, that domination.

He broke the kiss, looking deeply into his lover's eyes. "Katsuki… I'm ready." He said with complete certainty. "I've had enough of the fingers. It's not- _nngh!_ – enough." He moaned. "I want you now. I want to be with you all the w-way."

That was all Katsuki needed to hear. He removed his fingers then leaned back on his launches, inspecting the body that was about to be completely his. "Tell me if it hurts at all, Deku. I'll slow down. I'll even stop if you want me to. Just say the word."

The omega nodded, his heart pounding.

"Take a deep breath in." The alpha commanded, the words dripping from his tongue like honey. Deku's body twitched with pleasure at receiving an alpha command. He followed without a second thought. "Hold it." The man ordered. Again, the command was met with unfaltering obedience. Katsuki lined up his erection. He was growling and constantly swallowing to contain the copious amount of drool. He was acting like a starved dog. "Breathe out." He ordered after a few seconds. As the air escaped Deku's lungs and his abdomen loosened, Katsuki pushed through into the impossibly tight rings of muscle.

Deku's eyes went wide and immediately, he gasped. Katsuki stopped with only a few inches in, pressing down on the boy's tense stomach. "Relax, relax." He coaxed. "It's okay. Deep breaths, Deku. Make your belly soft again. Deep breaths."

Deku grabbed the alpha's arm tightly as he tried his hardest to relax his body. He was glad they were doing this in his off season instead of during his heat. In heat, he wouldn't want to take it slow. He would swear at Katsuki and beg him to always go faster and harder. He wouldn't care if he bled, he wouldn't care if he cried. It was lust-driven madness. He was glad they got to take their time.

When he was ready, Deku told Katsuki to give him the whole thing. Slowly, he slid in deeper and deeper until the boy tapped his forearm, silently telling him that he needed another break. Katsuki worked him through it patiently just like before. His instincts told him to just take what he needed to be satisfied but he restrained himself. He loved Deku and he didn't want to do this unless the boy was enjoying it too.

"Is there still more?" The boy asked, panting. Katsuki looked down at his cock.

"Just a little bit." He assured. "Maybe an inch or an inch and a half. Hey, Deku, we can stop here. We can do it with just this part."

The fuzzy-minded omega shook his head in refusal. "No… I'm going to take all of it. I can do it." If he couldn't take it down to the base, then he had no hope of getting the knot in.

Katsuki waited a while longer, stroking the boy's hair to calm him down until he finally got the go-ahead. He slid in the last bit until his hips were flush to Izuku's ass. He let out a deep, satisfied, moan. "Should we mark today?" He asked the boy. Marking was a big commitment but also hugely beneficial. Couples that marketed could smell more detail in the other's scent and had better intuition about the other's needs. On the other hand, Katsuki was at more of a risk of getting omega fever and Deku was more in danger of suffering a starved state.

Deku nodded. "Yes… Please. I want it. I want people to see it, to see that I'm your omega."

Katsuki chuckled. "Then you shall have one."

"Kacchan… you can start now. Go slow for a while, okay?"

"Of course." The alpha slowly pulled out a few inches before sinking back in with a moan.

The nerves inside Deku burned with a bit of pain but more than anything, they cried out in pleasure. 'Yes…this is right. This is _so_ right. This is what it means to be Katsuki's omega. I'm connected to him. I'm with him in a way that no one else ever has been or ever will be. I'm the only one who makes him feel like this, I'm the only one who gets to feel his amazing cock. I'm his and he's mine.' The boy thought, his body relaxing.

" _Fuck… Deku… ahhh, you feel so good_." The alpha mumbled as he pulled out a few inches again then sunk back in. He repeated it, moaning lowly.

The boy moaned in harmony with the alpha. " _Nnnngh~ Don't stop… ah, Kacchan! Mm!_ " With the next few thrusts, Deku forgot the pain. His head buzzed each time that long, warm, cock pushed against his cervix, rubbing along all those amazing nerves that were designed for exactly this purpose. A knot of tension was building in his stomach. It demanded more and faster. "K-Kacchan… please…please more." He mewled.

The alpha obliged, picking up the pace and making his thrusts bigger. This earned him a string of sultry moans from the omega. " _Oh fuck!_ " He whimpered. " _Ah! Ah, Katsuki! Yes! Fuck yes! Fuck me!_ " he cried. It felt so good.

The alpha smirked. "You have a dirty mouth on you, don't you?" He teased.

The greenette flushed bright red and covered his mouth. He had promised himself he wouldn't act like that. "Sorry" He whispered.

"No, no, no. Don't hide it. _I love it_. Let me hear your voice." Katsuki encouraged, trailing a finger along the boy's jaw.

'Does he really like that sort of thing?' Deku wondered. 'Why do I have such an incredible alpha?'

The blonde pulled himself out until only the head of his cock remained in the smaller man then shoved himself in all the way down to the base, forcing more lewd words from his perfect omega. "Katsuki!" He cried. "Ah! Fuck! I love your cock!"

Katsuki grinned, thrusting the same way. "Tell me how much you love it." He prodded.

"It's so big and hot and it fills me so full!" He answered, his virgin ass continuously being penetrated by the huge erection.

"What do you want, Deku?" The man asked, growling as he fucked the boy even harder, a slapping sound created by his hips rhythmically hitting Deku's ass. The boy's eyes rolled back, his body jerking as waves of pleasure ravaged him.

"I want more. I want you to grab me tight and burry your cock into me hard just like this." His voice trembled.

"Then what? What do you want me to do to you?" The man encouraged, the drool finally breaking free and dripping off of Katsuki's tongue onto the omega's belly.

Each thrust came like a jolt of electricity, causing every nerve in Deku's body to tingle as his mind grew dizzier. "I want you to hold my hips tight and force your knot into my tight ass and cum in me. I want you to bite my throat and hold me in place as you make me your omega."

"Then I'm going to fuck'n do that. I'm going to completely dominate you, completely control you. Is that what you want? You want your alpha to take charge?" He growled against Deku's ear.

The omega moaned loudly. "Yes! Yes! I don't care what you do, Alpha. Just take me! Make me yours!" He begged. He felt his teeth vibrating. That tenseness in his stomach felt like it was ready to explode and Deku was well aware that when it did, it would be more than he could handle.

Katsuki held the boy so tightly as his hips jerked with primal instinct. He was full alpha, emitting enough potent alpha pheromones to immobilize any omega. " _Fuck! Deku! Fuck! Aaagh! You're mine. Mine."_

"I'm yours, Katsuki." The dizzy boy mumbled, his toes curled and his fingernails digging crescents into the alpha's back. He was hanging on for dear life, his climax so near.

Before he knew it, sharp canines broke into the flesh of his throat, right over his sensitive scent gland. He screamed out, the pain mixing with the pleasure of the alpha simultaneously forcing his knot in. Katsuki held Deku in place with his teeth as he desperately jerked his hips, swelling his knot to full size.

Deku could never imagine something so large in him, it broke his mind and his body. His head fell back and he screamed his alpha's name as the tightness in his stomach released. His body convulsed, waves of indescribably pleasure wracked through his small form. His own cum shot across his stomach and chest.

Once Deku reached orgasm, his body locked around Katsuki's member, the muscles tightening to keep him in. Katsuki rolled over the edge too, his eyes rolling back in his head as he came deep in the omega's womb. "Deku!" He yelled, holding those hips with bruising strength as he, trembling, filled the boy with burning hot seed.

There was silence as the transaction took place. Deku didn't dare move as he felt himself receive complete fulfillment. Every instinct in his body told him that this was what he was made for. There was no pleasure better than feeling your alpha climax inside of you. His vision went white for a moment.

Once Katsuki's orgasm was spent, he exhaustedly slumped onto the omega below him, leaving his neck perfectly accessible. The omega, driven purely by instinct, sunk his teeth down on the smooth skin, making his alpha growl. He dismissed the noise, not stopping until his teeth punctured flesh and a drop of blood coated his tongue. He released his hold and apologetically licked the wound.

The alpha silently nuzzled his purring omega. Both were in a state of peace that they'd never known before. They didn't care that they were both sweaty and sore, they didn't care that Deku's sticky cum was stuck between them. They just cared about being together in that primal, instinctual, way.

They laid together like that for a few minutes, just panting and collecting their thoughts before someone finally spoke.

"I am so fuck'n in love with you." Katsuki muttered, kissing the red mark on the omega's throat. "Are you okay? Did I hurt you?"

"Not at all." The boy answered. He tried to pull his hips away from Katsuki's to test the knot but the alpha hissed in pain. "Sorry."

"You'll know when it's done." The alpha said.

"What's in the knot?" The omega asked.

"Cum."

"What? Didn't you already do that?"

"The first load would be the one that causes a pregnancy. I get locked in to ensure that it has as much time and heat as it needs to do its job. The second load coats the inside of the womb to kill unwanted bacteria and create an insulated, nutrient rich, home for a baby." He explained.

"Really? It seems like the alpha is the one who does all the work in the beginning, huh?"

"Well, then you have to grow it and give birth to it so my job's not really that hard in comparison."

"I guess. I mean, someday, I'd like to-" Izuku's eyes went wide as he was interrupted by a rush of hot liquid inside of him, making him shiver. Katsuki pulled himself out, the excess liquid spilling out of the boy and creating a puddle on the bed.

"I guess we're sleeping on that futon tonight." The man commented, seeing what a mess they'd made.

Deku giggled. "It'll be cozy~"

"Yeah right. More like claustrophobic and drooly." Katsuki responded with a chuckle.

"I don't drool!" The greenette defended.

"Sure, and you also don't have a freckle constellation on your ass that looks like the big dipper."

Izuku blushed, biting his bottom lip to conceal a giggle. He could spend forever and a half with this man.

.

.

.

"Ms. Ashida, you worked really hard today. You should take the rest of the day off." The young, blonde, omega said to the woman at her side.

"Huh? You want to postpose our photoshoot today?" She asked.

Toga nodded. "I think that would be best. I'm not really feeling well." She was putting all of her effort into being polite, hoping that her bodyguard would notice.

"Oh, okay. Well, I'll just head home early then. Feel better, Ms. Himiko."

The girl bowed politely to her employee. Dabi watched, suspicious of the girl's intentions. When Ms. Ashida was out of earshot, he looked to the blonde. "What are you up to?" He asked with an unimpressed voice.

"I'm not _up_ _to_ anything." She defended.

"Okay, then who are you and what have you done with Toga?"

He was making it hard to be a good person. She kept her temper reigned in. "I'm trying to be a better person."

"Did that little broccoli-head-kid hold you at gun point? What the fuck is this?"

The girl blushed, frustrated. This wasn't working and it was getting harder to keep her cool. "People will like me better if I'm nicer."

"Since when do you care about anyone except your fans liking you?"

"Do you really think that I only care about my fans?" She questioned at they got into her car.

Dabi scoffed, looking out the window. "Wait, you're right. You also care about yourself."

"Why are you being a jerk?" She grumbled before asking the driver to take her to the park.

"The park? You hate anything that has to do with the outdoors." The alpha beside her commented.

Toga searched through her duffle bag and pulled out a jacket to cover herself up. "It's what I want to do today."

The bodyguard boredly watched the world pass outside the window. Toga opened up her twitter and read through her comments. Some were the usual, saying she looked pretty and that they were excited for her single to be released. Other comments were not as reassuring. She often misspoke during interviews and no one missed the opportunity to call her an airhead. They criticized her for her surgeries, her voice, every tiny imperfection. She scrolled past one comment on her fan page that especially irritated her. It read:

 _I worked with Cutie for almost two years and let me tell you, she's not as nice as she pretends to be. She's a total psycho bitch! She's so disrespectful to everyone and she fires new employees when they make tiny mistakes like bringing her the wrong coffee. I used to do her makeup and she showed up all the time with hickies on her neck and she has a big scar on her cheek too that she covers. You guys don't know the real Cutie, no one does._

Toga angrily turned off her phone and tossed it down on the seat beside her. ' _Jealous bitch_ ' she thought. She remembered that makeup artist well. Her company was having an issue with pictures being leaked of Toga without her permission. Some were just her without her makeup to make fun of her face but others were of her undressing or arguing with employees. When she found out that the makeup artist was the mole, she fired her on the spot.

'That scar is none of her goddamn business' she thought, biting her bottom lip hard. It wasn't a scar but actually a burn much the same as Dabi's- _chemical burns_. She had been at a fan meetup after a show. They sold private meetings where fans could meet her one-on-one and talk to her for ten minutes. These VIP meetings were very expensive so they usually sold to older fans with jobs, usually much older men. Her manager didn't really care that he was putting her alone in a room with random older men, he just wanted the money. One man, a fan who had given her _a lot_ of money in gifts over the years, was especially upset when she refused to go on a date with him. He felt that he had made her who she was, he had paid for many of her surgeries, and it was his right to take away that pretty face since he was the one who made it.

Before the omega knew what was happening, he opened up his water bottle and flung the contents at her. She instinctually closed her eyes but surprisingly, she didn't feel her body on fire like she expected to. She curiously opened her eyes to see that her bodyguard was blocking her with his own body. She saw his skin literally bubble and turn deep purple.

She let out one blood curdling shriek before fainting. Dabi was in the hospital for months and when he came out, he wore horrible burns over much of his body. Toga couldn't look at him for a long time because, when she did, she felt the most horrible sense of guilt. He was like that because of her. People made fun of him all over the internet because they couldn't believe that the nation's princess was guarded by a gargoyle man. She despised herself and the world for that even though Dabi never seemed to pay it any mind.

Toga had personally fired at least fifteen employees for making rude remarks about the bodyguard's burns. Every time it happened, Dabi found out about it and got angry with her, saying that people shouldn't lose their jobs over him and that she didn't need to protect his feelings. Why couldn't he understand? It wasn't for him… _it was for her_. She couldn't stand to listen to them gossip, it ate away at her heart. The man she loved was being mistreated because of her.

He never understood her. Every time she tried to be good, he misunderstood so she resorted to being bad and even then, he never heard what she was trying to tell him. She glanced at him in the car. 'What do I have to do to get you to notice me?' she asked silently. 'Do you hate me because of that day? If I could go back in time and stop you from protecting me, I would. So please… forgive me.'

The car pulled over at the park and let the two out. She thanked the driver and slowly started wandering down the path with Dabi at her side. She would love to believe that this was a date but she would just be lying to herself. She was paying Dabi to be there with her. Once the money was gone, so would he be.

"What?" The man mumbled, his hands shoved in his pockets.

"I didn't say anything." Toga responded.

"What's wrong?" He prodded.

'Why does he even care? I've cried water works in front of him before and he barely lifts his eyes from his paper. All the sudden he's Mr. Perceptive?' She thought. "What kind of omega do you like?" The girl asked, annoyed.

"This again? You ask so often. Why does it matter?"

'How can he even ask that? He knows. He's always known that I like him.' "I just… I don't know who I am… I'm trying to change myself all the time in a hundred different ways to make everyone happy. My fans want me to be diligent and loving and compassionate. My manager wants me to be cold and business-minded. My mother wants me to be wealthy and generous. I'm so many different people that I don't even know who I am anymore… But the person I really want to be- the person who wins the affection of my special someone- it seems like no matter how hard I try, I can't be that person." The girl blinked rapidly, holding the tears in.

"Why not just be yourself? It's such a bother to live up to someone else's expectations, right? If I told you that I like girls with triple-Ds who know how to juggle, would you book a breast enlargement appointment and start practicing juggling every hour?"

The girl looked away, embarrassed. "What's so wrong about changing for someone else?"

"The pain that you feel inside of you, the pain of not knowing who you are and where you belong would never go away. You would stay lost your whole life. Besides, what's so wrong with the real Toga? I've met her a few times and she's pretty cool."

She looked up to him with wide eyes. 'The real Toga?' She wondered. 'Who's she? Can you introduce me?' As she thought that, she heard someone whispering nearby.

"Is that Cutie?" Someone asked their friend.

"Cutie? Where? Oh… yeah! That looks like her!" The friend replied. "Should we go talk to her? Do you think she'd take a selfie with me?"

Toga was not in the mood. Her eyes were red and her emotions were raw. She walked a little faster, hoping they wouldn't follow her. Of course, they did and they even recruited some more onlookers. People quickly pulled out their phones, hoping to get a video of the celebrity to show their friends or sell to a tabloid. The blonde's heart raced. When they saw her teary face, they'd make up all sorts of rumors about her breaking up a secret relationship with another celebrity or say that she had miscarried. They would burn anything to fuel their fire.

The crowd caught up with them. She kept her back turned to them as questions were flung at her from every which way.

"Cutie! What are you doing in the park? Are you planning a music video here? Can I be in it?"

"Me too! If you're making a video, can my kids be part? They're great actors!"

"Cutie, why are you dressed in athletic clothes when there's such cold weather? Is this part of a weight loss plan? Is it true that shivering helps you burn calories?"

"You shouldn't be using such harsh techniques to lose weight! Didn't you start training at a new place? I've seen your tweets about it. Is that blonde guy the trainer who told you to do this?"

She wanted to scream. She wanted to tell them to stop taking one grain of information and building elaborate fantasies out of them. She wanted to tell them to go away, to just let her walk in the park without being filmed and scrutinized. Before she could turn around and address the restless crowd, a strong, male voice spoke up.

"Cutie would love to answer your questions but she's abstaining from speaking to keep her voice healthy in this cold, dry, climate. As you all know, Cutie will be releasing a new single soon so she's doing everything she can to ensure that she'll perform her best during recording. We hope you'll all support her by rooting for her and listening to the single once it's released." Dabi announced.

Everyone understood and offered the young idol words of encouragements. She took selfies with a few people then the crowd dispersed. She turned to her bodyguard. "Thank you…"

"I'm you bodyguard, it's my job to protect you."

"If it weren't your job, would you still be nice to me?"

"No one pays me to be nice to you." He pointed out.

"Do you care at all? About me, I mean? If you weren't my body guard, would you care at all about me?"

"Jeez… these questions again?" He scratched the back of his head uncomfortably.

"Please answer honestly. There're no cameras around, your job's not in jeopardy, I won't even mention it again, I swear. I just want to know if you just see me as a paycheck or if there's anything authentic."

The alpha looked into her eyes and saw that, for once, there really were no ulterior motives. This wasn't another of her games, she was being the real Toga. He sighed. "That burn on your cheek… you remember how you got it, right? When that happened, it happened so quickly that I didn't have time to consider my job. If I did, I probably wouldn't have intervened because a job isn't worth that. The decision I made was because of a person, not a position. There was a person that I was willing to get hurt for."

The omega stared at the man in awe. Had he really just said that? He never said more than five words to her, much less admitted that he cared about her.

"Don't ask me any more questions today." The man grumbled with tinted cheeks.

Toga nodded happily. She had heard more than enough to be content. She smiled from cheek to cheek. "Hey, there's a vendor over there grilling squid. Go buy us some." She requested.

"Why me?"

"I can't be seen buying street food! There are so many calories in those, the haters would go crazy. Please?" She dug her credit card out of her pocket and held it out to him, looking up to the alpha with pleading eyes.

He scoffed. "Whatever. It's on me." He turned around and went to the vendor. They ate the hot squid in a corner of the park hidden by bushes so people wouldn't see. Dabi teased the girl and she fired back with equal wit. Together, the laughed and tried on to burn their tongues. They were beginning, just a little bit, to understand each other.


	13. The Family

"Are you sore?" Katsuki asked, softly rubbing the omega's hips. He couldn't separate even an inch from the boy for fear of drop. An omega needed constant physical contact right after sex to keep them from suffering depression.

"Maybe a bit but it's really nothing." The purring omega answered.

"I'll get you some pain killers and green tea in a bit." The blonde promised.

Deku chuckled. "When I first met you, I didn't expect you to ever be like this."

"Like what?" Katsuki propped himself up on his elbows.

"You're a big softy." The omega said with a smile.

"No I'm not." He grumbled.

"You're -as they say- whipped." Deku giggled.

"You're digging yourself a grave, Omega." The man threatened playfully. "If you weren't recovering from an ass beating, I'd beat it again. A smarter omega would not challenge their alpha's dominance."

The boy rolled onto his belly and kissed Katsuki's hand before resting his cheek in it. "A smarter alpha wouldn't have chosen a defiant omega in the first place. I seem to remember you telling me that you didn't want me to be obedient and normal~ Care to bite your tongue, dear?"

"You cheeky little shit~" The alpha cooed with a smirk. His boy was so clever and intriguing. "I brought something home for you but maybe I shouldn't give presents to spoiled brats." He teased in return.

Deku was curious and excited. "You got me a present?" He asked, scooting closer to suck up to the alpha. He rubbed his forehead affectionately against the man's toned bicep, purring even louder. "You smell so good, Alpha~" He sang sweetly.

Katsuki scoffed. "You're ridiculous. It's in my jacket pocket." He said.

"Is it a ring~?" Deku pried. "You said you were going to marry me."

The alpha rolled his eyes. He knew that Deku would wait but he wouldn't be completely satisfied until he had that symbol of complete commitment. "Go get it and don't be disappointed if it's not a ring."

The omega didn't want to leave the warm skinship of his partner but on the other hand, he was just too curious. He made the trip quickly and hopped back on the bed, holding a little envelope. "Is this it?" He asked.

"Mmhm." The alpha rolled onto his side and watched expectantly as the boy opened the envelope and pulled out two boarding passes. He took a moment to read them over.

"December 21st, 6 am flight to Anchorage, Alaska…" He read aloud. His eyes went wide with excitement and he smiled brightly at the blonde beside him. "Are you serious? Are these real?"

"I don't care enough about pranking you to go to this extent of effort so yes, they are real. Business class, by the way, because-"

Katsuki was interrupted by his omega tacking him in a bone-crushing hug. It practically knocked the air out of him. "Thank you! Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!" he cried, nuzzling into the man. "I love you so much, Kacchan! This is going to be so much fun, you'll see!"

'Fuck, he's goddamn adorable' the male thought. "If you crush my spine, we can't go."

The omega released his iron grip and settled on nuzzling and cuddling the man. Affection oozed out of his little body. "It's going to be so much fun~ I can't wait to meet your parents and your brother."

"My brother will not be there." The alpha quickly corrected. "I did not invite him."

"But why? Why can't I meet him?"

"He's weird."

"That's a weak argument." The boy pointed out, tracing his pointer finger over Katsuki's stomach. "Can't I at least know what makes him so horrible? I'll stop bugging you."

"He's…" The man searched for the right words. "He's a huge nerd… in an annoying and creepy way. He has these creepy body pillows and he writes weird stories…"

"He just sounds like he has hobbies." Deku argued in a soft, pleading tone.

"You don't understand because you haven't met him. Reality and fantasy are like the same thing for him."

"Kacchan… You can't completely disassociate from him because he's a little awkward. Has he killed someone? Does he regularly perform armed robberies?"

"No…"

"Okay, well, he can't be that bad, then. Come on… family reunion."

"It's not going to happen any time soon, especially not when it's your first time meeting my family."

Deku grumbled, knowing he wasn't going to talk the alpha down from his decision. "Fine… but you have to answer three questions about him honestly."

"You make the rules now?"

The omega scowled. "It's only fair. You know everything about my family."

Katsuki scowled. "I'll answer three questions on the condition that you do not attempt to contact him. I don't want a surprise reunion."

The greenette nodded in agreeance. "Okay. First question. Is he older or younger than you?"

"Younger." The man replied honestly.

"What's his name?"

"Tatsuo." Again, his answer was prompt and honest.

"Why don't you two get along?"

"We just don't. He gets on my nerves and I get on his."

"What's his astrological symbol?"

"Three questions is enough." Katsuki said.

"Fine… but I'm going to meet him someday."

"Maybe, maybe not."

"He'll be at the wedding, won't he?" The boy asked with a smirk, successfully leading the conversation back to marriage planning.

"You'd be great at debate. You're a very manipulative conversationalist."

Deku chuckled and kissed his parnter's chest. "Did I mention that I'm a college graduate?" He joked.

Katsuki wrapped his arms around the boy. "Not just a trophy wife, huh? You're hot and smart. That's the double-whammy."

Deku couldn't stop smiling. He drank in the compliments eagerly. "You're not so bad yourself~"

Katsuki slowly rubbed the boy's back. "Are you hungry? I can whip something up."

"I want eggs." Deku laid his head against the alpha's chest.

"I can do eggs." Katsuki agreed.

After a few more minutes of cuddling, they got dressed and took the dirty sheets off of the bed. Deku's back end was sore so Katsuki had him sit on the couch with some pain killers and tea while he finished cleaning up the house. He made omelets which they ate while catching up on Deep Thunder. After a few episodes, they were both asleep.

Katsuki awoke in a tangled mess. He slept on his back with one leg off the couch and the other leg over the back of it. His omega used him as a mattress, sleeping stomach down across Katsuki and drooling. "So cute and so gross…" The man mumbled, sneaking his way out from under the omega to take a shower.

When Katsuki came out of the shower, the little omega was still dead asleep. The man started redressing the bed with clean sheets, only to be disturbed by a knocking at the door. "Kacchaaan!" The lazy boy called out. "Kacchan, someone's here!"

Immediately assuming it was his two-faced neighbor, Katsuki dropped what he was doing and got to the door quickly. He opened it to reveal a common delivery man. Deku sat up a bit to see what was going on through tired eyes.

The alpha signed for the delivery and took the two large baskets into the house. Deku yawned and rolled off the couch, coming to see what the delivery man had brought them. There were two whicker gift baskets. One was full of expensive, exotic, fruit and the other was a mystery, hidden under a silky purple cover. Deku read the notes attached to the baskets handles. "This one has your name on it." He said, scooting the fruit basket closer to the alpha. The other basket was addressed to him.

"Who the hell sent these?" Katsuki asked, bringing his basket to the kitchen while the omega plopped down on the floor to open his.

"Probably Toga. She's trying to make amends."

"What on Earth did you do to that girl? It's like you killed her and replaced her with a doppelganger cyborg."

"Everyone has the capacity to be nice." Deku corrected, untying the bow that held the silky material together and pulling it off to reveal an assembly of different beauty products. He curiously looked them over.

"What did she send you?" The alpha asked.

"Let's see… A hair straightener… tanning cream, false lashes, some makeup, weight gaining supplements…" He dug through the basket and pulled out a pair of spanx. He felt like her gifts should be slightly insulting but he knew that she didn't mean them that way. These were things that made her happy and she had assumed that Deku would like them too. None of it was cheap either.

The alpha walked over and looked through the basket too. He pulled out a little tube and read the name. "Studio-grade tattoo concealer… what the hell is that for?" He asked.

"To cover up freckles." He responded simply. As soon at he words left his mouth, he felt his back pushed to the ground and the alpha was pinning him with an air of dominance. Deku's eyes went wide as the man began to kiss his cheeks, a low, rumbling, growl in his throat.

"Don't use it." He ordered. His words melted the still omega. "Don't cover your freckles. They're mine. Don't straighten your hair, don't wear false lashes, don't tan your skin. Just stay how you are. Do you understand?" He said in a stern but smooth voice.

Deku nodded, his heart fluttering. He loved his alpha so much. "You don't even want me to try the weight supplements?" He asked, seeking more attention from the alpha.

Katsuki's kisses worked down his collar bone then to his stomach. The omega's face flushed. "You'll gain weight naturally but even if you don't, you're already perfect." The man left long, slow, kisses over the boy's bare abdomen, making his back arch slightly against the cold hardwood floor.

"I just want you to think I'm pretty~" Deku cooed, loving the compliments.

" _You're pretty_." Katsuki insisted, pressing his lips to the omega's hip bone. "You're so pretty. You're prettier than everyone else. You're gorgeous." He hooked a finger around the elastic waist of Deku's underwear. His tongue dipped a little lower on his waist.

" _Kacchan…_ " The boy whispered, his body feeling the intensity of these little kisses and wanting more.

The alpha's fingers gently brushed over Deku's groin. He smiled at the slight stiffness. "Again? You're so troublesome…" He teased.

Deku blushed brightly. "Your fault…" He complained weakly.

The man's fingers grew more brazen, slowly sliding up and down the clothed shaft. "Then I guess I should take responsibility, right?"

The omega nodded, breathing heavily. He couldn't believe how easy sex was after getting through the first time. Katsuki was quick to offer and Deku was quick to accept. This was the kind of relationship that Deku had only imagined in his wildest fantasies. He didn't think it would actually be this easy to trust Katsuki but it turned out to be the easiest thing in the world.

"I'll let you cum down my throat if you promise to give that basket away." He said, pulling down the boy's boxers.

"I promise." The boy's hips wriggled expectantly. He didn't need any of those things. Katsuki liked how he looked, he didn't want to change.

Deku closed his eyes right before he felt a warm, wet, tongue slide from the base of his shaft to the head. He sighed in pleasure. The tongue wrapped around his head before stroking his length again. The boy hummed happily.

Katsuki wanted to give Deku anything he wanted. Any pleasure he desired, whenever he wanted it. He loved to hear those sweet little moans. His mouth adopted he head of Deku's excited cock. He swirled his tongue around it as he breathed in his omega's unique scent. He plunged a little further, feeling as the heavy organ sunk down his throat. Unlike Deku, this act didn't come naturally to him and he could only hold it for a moment before he had to pull off. He coughed slightly from the stimulation to the back of his throat.

"It's okay, Kacchan." The boy coaxed. "You don't have to put it in your mouth. Just touching or licking will be more than enough." He insisted.

Ruby red eyes burned seductively into the bright emerald ones. "Shut up and just put your head back, okay?" He didn't want Deku to worry about it being uncomfortable for him, he just wanted to make the omega feel good.

Deku did what he was told and was rewarded by that tight, hot, mouth taking in one of his balls. He moaned aloud as the man's rough fingers rubbed on the sensitive flesh between the two balls. He'd never really played with his balls himself and was surprised to find out how good Katsuki could make them feel. Whenever he needed a fix, he usually went straight to fingering himself or grinding on a pillow, ignoring much of the pleasure that came from stimulating his sensitive cock.

Katsuki far from ignored it. When he was done playing with the omega's balls, he gave his eager attention back to the throbbing cock which had been neglected. He opened his mouth and, without hesitation, dropped his head down on the dick as far as his gag reflex would allow him. His nose was buried in Deku's green hair for a moment before he pulled up for air. Unlike last time, he didn't cough or pant. He went right back down, bobbing his head three inches deep.

"Fuck! Kacchan!" Deku called out in lust. "C-can I touch your head?" he requested shyly.

Katsuki liked the slowness and baby-stepping of their first time but now, there was no reason to be shy. He took Deku's hand and put it on his head. The lithe fingers immediately buried into his golden locks and took grip. Strangely, Katsuki found the light tugging to be erotic. He growled and oozed alpha pheromones which just aroused his partner even more.

The hand on Katsuki's head grew more demanding, holding the blonde still and his hips chased the tight warmth of his mouth. Katsuki compensated for not being able to swallow the hole length by wrapping his hand around the few neglected inches and pumping in time with the bobbing of his head.

The alpha's drool coated the whole erection and the volume of his slurping competed against Deku's heady moans. " _Kacchan, Kacchan, Kacchan, Kacchan~_ " he muttered as if drunk. His body trembled and his eyes rolled back. "So good… ah! H-Honey! _Mmmmm_. Just like that Alpha! Fuck, you feel good~" He moaned, only encouraging the alpha more.

Katsuki sped up his efforts, bobbing his head as fast and deep as he could without gagging. "Alpha! Mmm! Fuck! H-honey I'm gonna cum! Kacchan…" He moaned.

The man prepared himself by relaxing his throat and breathing through his nose but still, when the boy's hips thrusted up and he climaxed into his alpha's waiting mouth, it didn't go as well as expected. In the heat of the moment, Deku accidentally choked Katsuki with his orgasm-driven humping, causing the man to pull off with his eyes watery and the semen dripping from his tongue.

The omega immediately sat up to check on his partner. Although he felt apologetic, he couldn't help but notice how erotic his mate looked. He quickly got to his knees and forced his lips against Katsuki's in a rush of passion. His tongue hungrily explored the alphas mouth. He didn't feel embarrassed about the fact that he could taste his own ejaculation on his partner's tongue. After all, Katsuki wasn't embarrassed to perform an act that many alphas would reject, saying that it was something that only omegas did. Katsuki didn't care that other alphas would have poked fun at him, he just acted on the love he felt for his omega and Deku was doing the same.

"I love you." He panted as soon as the kiss broke.

The alpha smiled. "I love you too." He kissed Deku again before standing up. He helped the omega up too and pulled his boxers up for him. "You shouldn't be laying on the ground when your back is sore… I kinda got caught up in the heat of the moment."

Deku laughed. He was always having fun with Katsuki. Whether they were cooking dinner, bickering, or having sex, it was always so much fun. "Did you think I'd really consider the material of the flooring in a situation like that? I'll lay down on a bed of nails and be perfectly comfortable if I'm going to get a blowjob out of it."

The alpha flushed bright red. "Did you always talk like that?" He asked. He didn't remember his little omega being so unashamedly sexual.

The boy giggled. "Can I try some of that fruit basket?" He asked, going to the kitchen without answering the alpha's question. He looked through the basket before selecting a dragon fruit. He held it up for the alpha's approval.

"Yeah, eat whatever. Why the hell are you asking me?" Katsuki replied.

"It's your basket." Deku cut the fruit in half.

"Look, you're going to live here so you should know that I don't do that 'my shit versus your shit' thing, it annoys me. Everything is for both of us. The only exception is that room. That's yours. You're an omega and you need a place to nest so it's your special place for that. You can keep things in there and I'll keep my nose out of it." Katsuki said, further explaining his point by commandeering half of Deku's dragon fruit and taking a bite of it. "Don't ask me for permission to eat food, it makes me feel like a goddamn kidnapper or something."

Deku smiled brightly. "Okay, Kacchan~" He answered. "Are you going to be home with me all day or are you going to work?"

"All day but I can leave if you want to lay around and binge dramas." He smiled.

"That's not _all_ I do." The omega giggled. There was a knock on the door. "I'll get it." He said before eagerly trotting over to the door and opening it without first checking the peep hole. His happy green eyes immediately met with the blue and black eyes of his neighbor and former friend. The smile fell off of his face.

Katsuki was at his side before a moment passed. He hooked his arm protectively around his omega and glared at the visitor. He had told Todoroki that, if he ever tried to make contact with Deku again, that he would kill him. He thought that, in this moment, he'd be full of anger and violence but that wasn't quite the case. He actually felt kind of good about Todoroki seeing the little omega again. His mark was on Deku's throat and his collarbone was dressed in hickies. Some twisted part of Katsuki was glad that Todoroki was seeing for himself that Deku was his, _completely_ his.

"I-Izuku…" The man mumbled, shocked to see him. "Sorry… I didn't know you'd be here. I just… uh." He looked down to the papers he held in his hands. "I got some of Katsuki's mail on accident so I came over here to return it." The alpha realized the painful irony of the situation. He and his neighbor's deliveries kept getting messed up. He got Katsuki's mail while Katsuki got his omega.

The omega put out his hand silently for the mail. He wasn't afraid of Todoroki but he also didn't feel like making idle chit chat with the man. Todoroki noticed and put the mail in his hand. Deku looked through it, ignoring the alpha.

"Hey… Izuku… I'd love to have a chat with you some time. I know that you're angry and you have every right to be I just… I want a chance to explain myself…" The man said.

Katsuki lightly squeezed Deku's shoulder. "Do you want me to walk him back to his place, Babe?" Katsuki never used cliché nicknames like that but he had no problem pulling them out to flaunt his relationship in front of his competitor.

"No, it's okay. Mr. Todoroki is our neighbor. If he came all the way over to talk to me, I should humor him." Deku answered.

With the door open, Todoroki could clearly smell fresh lust and pleasure pheromones. It made his stomach churn. "I just want to make you understand that I didn't keep the truth from you because I wanted to hurt you. I wanted to keep you safe."

"Safe from what?" The omega didn't seem amused.

"The people who wanted to hurt you because of my father's business."

"Your logic is faulty. They took me because they thought I was special to you, right? So staying around you would only put me more at risk. You would affirm their suspicions."

"N-no! They kidnapped you to punish your family. To scare them out of the deal with my father." He explained.

"My parents withdrew their deal once they got a call from the kidnappers. They called your father and asked that I be sent home meaning that, by the time I arrived here, I was already safe from them and your family knew that my family wanted me back. It seems to me that your family was punishing mine for breaking off the deal by keeping me here."

The alpha's eyes went wide. "Izuku, I didn't know about that! I promise!" He said.

"It's okay… I believe that you didn't… but your slate isn't clean either. You never reached out to my family. You let them worry for over a month. You took me on dates. You dressed me how you wanted. You kissed me. You ignored my success in tutoring. You told me I didn't need to seek higher education and that all I needed was to start a family. I'm not stupid, Mr. Todoroki. I know what your intentions were. You kept me vulnerable and you separated me from my family so that I was easy prey for you. You saw that I was weak and you used it against me." The omega stated clearly.

"I was selfish, I know that. It's just… you're beautiful and sweet. You're perfect. I really did want to keep you safe but I also just wanted to talk to you. When we had met before, you were so strong-willed. You would have never given me a chance. You were caught up with your family and school. There was no place for me. When I saw that you had lost your memories… I just wanted to talk. You have to believe me." He pleaded. "It was like God had stripped away everything that held us apart before and for the first time, we had a chance to really talk to each other and get to know each other."

Deku sighed. Before, he would have been enraged. He would have been crying or throwing punches but now he had come to terms with it and he had everything he could ever want. "You're right… I am strong-willed. I'm intelligent. I care a lot about my family and my education. Even if I never got my memories back, that was never going to change. You couldn't have changed me. I'm always going to be defiant and argumentative. You wouldn't have been happy with me."

"That's not true. Don't you remember the time we spent together? We had so much fun. It was perfect. Fate had it planned out that we would be together but there was that one mistake… one flaw in the story where you were brought to the wrong house… If you were brought to me instead of Katsuki, our story would have continued happily but our story was too small for three actors and Katsuki being around broke it."

"Did you really think we were both having fun?" Deku asked. "Did it really feel perfect to you? Because for me, I felt like a barbie doll. I was told what to do, where to go, how to look. I was disingenuously playing the role of the simple omega because that all you allowed me to be. Katsuki wasn't as eloquent or proper but he never limited me. He never tried to sabotage me. He never sought out my weaknesses. He told me everyday that I was worthy of respect and an education and a choice. Despite his abundant charity, he never asked for anything in return. I can't explain love but I know it when I feel it. I love Katsuki. I never loved you and you never loved me either."

"I did…" Desperation drenched his words. "I was always sincere, Izuku."

"I'll forgive everything… and I'll even open up the possibility of calling you my friend some day on the condition that you treat me with dignity. The first step is to stop trying to explain your actions. I know what you did and why. Give me the simple respect of admitting it and apologizing."

Todoroki dropped his head in shame and resignation. Izuku had sealed his relationship with Katsuki and he couldn't be dissuaded from the truth. There was no hope in keeping this up. He nodded slowly. "I hurt you…" He admitted in a weak voice. "I saw your weaknesses… and I took advantage of them for selfish reasons. I'm sorry, Midoriya. I hope… that we can be friends."

The omega took a deep breath then offered a gentle smile. "Thank you. I hope so too."

The dejected alpha left after bowing politely to the couple. Katsuki promptly shut the door and looked to his omega. "You were awesome." He told him honestly. "If I were you, I'd have beat his ass. You're like a Buddhist monk or something."

The boy chuckled and pressed a light kiss to his alpha's chest. "You know how he said that fate was ruined when I was brought to you instead of him? Well guess what? You can't throw off fate. I was supposed to be with you this whole time."

The alpha blushed. "Don't get all sappy." He said, flustered. "Go pack. We're leaving tomorrow morning."

"I haven't even wrapped the presents yet!" The greenette realized.

"What presents?"

"Did you really expect me to show up empty-handed to spend Christmas with your family?"

"When the hell did you have time to go shopping? You didn't even know that we were going until a few hours ago."

"I wanted to be prepared just in case~"

Katsuki chuckled to himself as he watched his omega go to the room to pack. 'Half-n'-half could never handle Deku.' He thought. 'He would always be trying to suppress him and Deku would always be fighting back and doing what he wants. There's no doubt in my mind that Deku would win those battles. In no time at all, he'd turn Todoroki into a worn-out, anxious, annoyed, wreck.' The alpha chuckled.

'Deku is sweet and submissive but only on his terms. You could never force him to act like that.' It gave Katsuki great pride to think that he had earned that. Deku didn't simply roll over because he was an omega obeying an alpha. Katsuki worked hard to build that trust and now he reaped the rewards. He had taken care of Deku and sacrificed for him and loved him selflessly. That's why he got Deku and Todoroki didn't. That's why he had a little diamond ring hidden in his safe and the other alpha didn't.

They packed that day and woke up the next morning before the sun to board the plane. They both managed to sleep for the first few hours of the 14-hour flight. Deku soon became restless and shot out of his seat at the first opportunity they got when they stopped in Seattle. He stretched and complained until Katsuki finally gave in and found ways to entertain him. They played twenty questions then hangman and every card game they knew.

When they landed, they rented a car and Katsuki proceeded to drive them to Homer, a city four hours away from Anchorage. Deku was beating his head against the seat the whole drive. "I'm dyyyyiiing." He complained. "We've been sitting for _18 hours_. That's not natural. I'm going to keel over and pass away before we even get there."

"You sit this long when you find a new drama." The alpha teased.

"Who in their right mind lives in such an obscure location?"

"Now you see why I don't visit that often."

"Do you think they'll like me?"

"They'll like you too much. When they ask you to move in with them, stay strong and say no. You'll have to reject them many times but remember that we have our own house that's paid off and we like our privacy."

The omega nodded and watched out the window. "And I'll get to meet Tatsuo someday?"

"Maybe far, far, in the future."

"Okay."

After a tedious drive, they finally reached the Bakugo family home. When Deku stepped out of the car, he immediately noticed a middle-aged couple on the porch of the house. There was no doubt that these were Katsuki's parents. He looked just like them. When they saw the car pull up, the stood and watched it curiously before realizing that it was their son. The woman was quick to run down from the porch to greet them.

"Katsuki!" She hugged him tight. A little too tight, almost as if she was using the act of affection to punish him. "What a nice surprise!"

Deku was stunned. Katsuki hadn't even bothered to tell his parents that they were making this pilgrimage? What if they were busy? They'd have gone all that way for nothing!

The woman looked over her son's shoulder and noticed Deku. Her eyes went wide with surprise and excitement. Even from a few feet away, she could smell that the omega was mated to her son. "Masaru!" She called. "Honey! Come here! Katsuki brought home an omega!" She didn't seem to have much of a filter.

Deku blushed brightly as the two parents came to inspect him. "Hey there." The man greeted, clearly less erratic than his wife. "What's your name?"

"Hi! I'm Izuku." He bowed politely.

"I'm sorry that my son is such an idiot." Mitsuki said, smiling kindly. "I didn't know he was bringing anyone so I haven't prepared the kind of food you like or put out nice towels for you. I'm a pretty lousy host when I'm caught off guard."

"I-it's no problem! Having us on such short notice is a more than kind."

"Hold your horses. We're staying in a hotel." The young alpha corrected.

Deku pouted. "Wait! I want to stay here! Why can't we?"

"You heard her. We came unannounced. We would just be a burden." He explained. He had planned to come without warning for this very reason.

"Hold on! This house is plenty big." He argued then turned to Mitsuki. "Mrs. Bakugo, could we stay here with you two? We won't take up much room. Just one bed or a futon." He pleaded.

"Of course! There's more than enough room!" She liked Deku already. He didn't let Katsuki push him around like everyone else did.

"Now come on in. You two must be all cramped from sitting for so long. I'll lend you my hiking boots and you two can take a little walk to stretch out." She said. She put an arm around the young alpha and led him inside while the alphas took care of the luggage.

Mitsuki showed Deku where the kitchen and bathroom were before introducing him to a lovely spare room that would be his and Katsuki's. She left him be to change and said that she'd send Katsuki in once he was free. She was going to have a little chat with him first.

Deku looked around the room. He admired the smell of pine in the air, the cool bedsheets, and the pale light filtering in from the window. He stripped off his shirt then dropped his pants. He needed something a little warmer and more durable to hike in an Alaskan forest.

As he stood there in pink, silk, underwear, he heard the door gently creak open. His eyes darted to the source of the noise but relaxed to see it was only his alpha peeking in curiously. He sighed and giggled. "Come in and shut the door, Kacchan. I don't want your parents to see. I need to make a good impression."

The man entered the room and shut the door behind him. "They like you." The alpha said.

The omega was a little surprised that he wasn't getting scolded for ruining Katsuki's hotel plans. Maybe the alpha had just mellowed out a bit. "You think so? I was kind of getting that feeling too but I wanted you to say it first. They're really friendly." Deku said, turning around to admire the nice wood furniture that populated the room. Suddenly, he felt warm hands on his waist from behind. He smiled. "Hey, if you think I'm putting out after 18 hours of sitting you're damn wrong. My ass hurts enough already."

The familiar voice emitted a soft chuckle. "But you look cute~ Let me at least get a picture."

"Are you crazy! What if your parents look through your phone?" Katsuki had never asked to take any pictures of him, much less lewd ones. He was strangely calmer and more affectionate than usual.

"I'll keep it on me at all times. Please? I just want to remember how good you look right now." The man purred, kissing the omega's throat. When he was close, Deku could tell that his smell was a little off. He brushed it off as the scent of the rental car or some of his father's cologne. After all, this was his Kacchan.

The boy blushed. "Okay… one. And you have to swear you'll keep you phone in your pocket all the time and you'll sleep with it under your pillow." He was slightly uncomfortable but he trusted Katsuki. Plus, the tiny thrill of danger was exciting.

"Of course. One sec, let me go get something. I'll be right back." He excused and dashed out of the room. Making good on his promise, he returned hastily and locked the door behind him. He held up a cat ear headband and a collar. The omega was taken aback.

"What's that?" He asked, shocked. He had considered many possible fetishes for his alpha but this was not one of them.

"Just a little costume~" He approached and started dressing Deku in the pieces. Again, the omega found this behavior odd. His alpha wasn't usually this blunt. "I haven't really mentioned it before but this is something I'm into. I think it would make you look adorable."

Deku looked up into those bright, crimson, eyes. Hey were familiar and at the same time foreign. He had memorized ever curve and divot in his alpha's face but now, it wasn't quite the same. Deku couldn't place how or why his alpha's face unsettled him. In fact, he felt kind of guilty about being turned off by his own alpha. This was Katsuki so why did it feel strange and wrong?

"Kacchan… hey, let's do this later tonight instead. I need some fresh air. My stomach is upset." The omega lied, diverting his gaze.

He fully expected the man to back down and agree to the rescheduling but instead, he pestered further. "Come on, Baby. A picture only takes a second. Here, I'll just snap it real quick then we can go on a walk, okay?" The alpha pulled out his phone. "Look at the camera and bite your thumb a little bit. Okay? Ready? One, two-"

Deku looked up and immediately noticed the pink phone case that featured two scarcely dressed anime characters. The physical proof that Deku's strange feelings weren't without justification made it click in his mind that something was very, very, wrong. He didn't understand. Maybe this was an alternate reality, maybe this person was an alien in disguise, but whatever it was, this wasn't Deku's alpha.

"KAAACHAAN!" The boy screamed at the top of his lungs, his knees buckling and his arms raising to cover his bare chest.

The man in front of him seemed completely startled as the sound of fast and heavy footsteps came tumbling down the hall. He didn't have a moment to collect himself before there was vicious rattling at the doorknob. Next thing he knew, the door flew open and bits of broken door frame flew out from the site of impact. Katsuki had no problem kicking down doors.

Scared emerald eyes watered up as they met those familiar ruby ones. He was so confused. Before him stood two identical copies of his alpha. He felt as if he'd just walked into an episode of the Twilight Zone.

"K-Kacchan?" He mumbled in a weak voice.


	14. A Night in Alaska

To say that Deku was surprised would be an understatement. He stood, frozen in amazement, and watched as Katsuki snatched the imposter's phone and chucked it behind him mercilessly. The scared impersonator watched in horror as the device broke into pieces.

It was true that Tatsuo and Katsuki didn't always get along but, until that moment, the younger never believed that his older brother would actually kill him. Now he wasn't so sure. The older alpha was pinning him with vicious red eyes, his pheromones doing all the speaking for him. The room was full of a dangerous scent that indicated imminent violence. Tatsuo's heart raced.

"Katsuki!" He said, raising his hands defensively. "Hey, chill out! Come on, ch-" The boy was interrupted when his brother easily kicked him down. He fell hard onto his tailbone. He cried out in pain but was quickly silenced when Katsuki stepped on his chest, pushing down with a crushing force that stole the breath from his lungs.

" _What the fuck were you doing with my omega_?" He growled, making even Deku's skin prickle in fear.

"S-Sorry!" The boy panted. He tried to pry the alpha's foot off of him but he couldn't budge it.

"Kacchan." Deku finally spoke but his voice was barely audible.

Katsuki looked to the omega. What on earth was he wearing? Panties, a collar, and cat ears. He didn't doubt that his idiot brother had talked him into it. He looked back to the boy on the floor with a hard glare. "Did you put that on him? Did I say you could touch him?" He interrogated, applying more pressure.

The younger brother wheezed, clawing at Katsuki's leg but finding no mercy. He wasn't saved until both Mitsuki and Masaru arrived to break up the fight. It took both of them to pry the older brother off. The blonde woman angrily slapped Katsuki across the back of the head while Masaru helped Tatsuo up.

"You're really going to kill him like that!" She scolded. "What the hell has gotten into you!?"

Katsuki didn't defend himself, he just looked to his omega to make sure he was alright. The confused and oddly dressed boy trembled both from the shock of being tricked and the fear in watching his alpha violently attack his brother.

Katsuki shook off his mother's hands and went straight to Deku, shielding him with his back so that they wouldn't see him in the embarrassing outfit. He looked down to the boy, his demeanor completely changed. He was calm and kind now. "Are you okay?" He asked quietly.

The omega began to relax as he breathed in his partner's comforting pheromones. He nodded. He really wanted the others to leave. He wrung his hands nervously. "Can… can you ask them to go?" He said, whispering as quietly as he could.

Katsuki shrugged off his jacket and draped it around Deku before turning to his family. "Can we have some privacy?" He asked as if he hadn't just tried to murder his own sibling. They understood and obliged, leaving the two alone.

The moment he turned back around to face the omega, he found two little hands grabbing his cheeks. The boy was searching his face with intense scrutiny. "What the hell are you doing?" He asked.

"I want to be completely, with a doubt, positive that you're my Kacchan." He said, looking deep into those familiar eyes.

"Look… I'm sorry Tatsuo messed with your head and all. I didn't know that-" The alpha was interrupted.

"What did I eat for lunch?" Deku asked.

The man rolled his eyes. "A smooshed-up Nutella sandwich that you'd been carrying in your bag for the last fourteen hours." He replied. He had tried to talk the omega out of it but in the end, Deku did what he wanted.

The omega relaxed, taking a deep breath and looking to his alpha. "So… Tatsuo's here…?" He asked. He hadn't been warned at all.

"We're going to stay in a hotel."

"But… okay, I know what just happened was kind of scary but I still think we should stay here…" The omega said, holding onto Katsuki's sleeve.

The man looked dumb-founded. "My brother just tried to take photos of you in this… _what even is this_? _Weird cat costume_. But you still want to hang around and see how long it takes him to come up with another way to be weird?"

"He won't do it again." The omega promised. "And if he tries again, I'll know better and stop it. I would have never allowed him to put this costume on me if I had known he wasn't you. Speaking of which… do you think it was fair not to tell me that your brother is an identical twin?" He asked with a slight scowl.

"It wasn't important because he wasn't supposed to be here. It was just a horrible coincidence that we both came to visit at the same time."

"That could have been avoided if you had told your parents that we were coming. I mean, _seriously_. Was your plan just to ride into town and hope someone would be around? Besides that, think of your poor parents who have to scramble to accommodate everyone because of you couldn't be bothered. If that doesn't show you to be more considerate, then think about the awkward position that you put me in. Apparently, you didn't tell them that I was coming, much less that I exist, so I show up here as a surprise and a burden. How were you sure that they'd receive me well or have room for me? Didn't you think that might make me feel like an imposition? I'm very awkward here, Katsuki." The boy scolded.

Katsuki scowled back but admittedly, he felt a little guilty. "Okay, yeah. I guess… I should have called or something. Still, my plan wasn't inherently flawed. Mom and Dad are home and they both love you so I didn't really fuck up that bad."

"Is that what an apology sounds like?" Deku asked, crossing his arms.

The man rolled his eyes. "Holy shit, I can't take you seriously in that costume."

The omega pulled the ear headband off then the collar and threw them aside so he was left in only the pink, silk, underwear. Red eyes examined the clothing. "Did Tatsuo give you that too?" He asked, surprised. He didn't think that his omega would own something like that.

"They're mine." The boy answered, still a little peeved. "I bought them when I went shopping with Ochaco."

"Ah… I was wondering where you got that lingerie from."

"I was in a better mood then."

"Hey… are you really angry at me?" The Alpha asked, his voice just a little tender.

"Mm-hm." The pouting boy answered honestly.

The man wrapped his arms around the boy but Deku didn't respond. He didn't lean in or hug back. Instead, he defiantly diverted his eyes.

His rejection made Katsuki both angry and desperate. "Come on, don't do that. Let's get out of the house. We're both restless from the flight and stressed out because of Tatsuo, let's just get some fresh air."

The omega took the bait. "Where?" He asked, still pouting.

"Anywhere you want."

He mulled over the decision for a moment before deciding. "I want to go for a hike." He said.

The alpha picked up a pair of jeans and held them open at the omega's feet so he could step in. He never thought he would become the kind of alpha that babies their omega like this but he couldn't help it. Deku was precious to him. He wanted to take care of the boy. He didn't want him to be angry. He didn't care if it was embarrassing to act like this, he just wanted to keep the boy at his side.

Deku stepped into the pants and watched as Katsuki pulled them up and buttoned them. He felt his anger dissipating. "You can't just annoy me so much then turn around and be sweet. You'll give me whiplash." The omega complained softly.

The alpha smiled at that forgiving tone. "Sorry…" he mumbled. "Here, wear this. It's cold out." He handed Deku one of his flannel shirts. He always thought it was so cute when the omega wore his clothes.

In a gesture of reconciliation, the omega accepted the shirt and put it on. The shirt fell half-way down his butt and the long sleeves hid his fingers. He looked to his alpha who was admiring the outfit with grinning approval. He couldn't help but blush. "I'm still annoyed." He reminded half-heartedly.

The alpha began to change his own clothes. "Will you forgive me if I agree to staying here rather than going to a hotel?" He asked. The situation would annoy him and make him anxious but if that's what it took to keep the omega happy, he could bear it.

"Would you?" The wide-eyed boy asked. As embarrassing and awkward as it was for Deku to stay there in the family home, he couldn't miss the opportunity for him or Katsuki to bond with the family.

"Sure… but you have to stay at my side and you can't talk to Tatsuo."

"Don't you think you're going a little overboard? I can't just not talk to him. We'll be in the same house after all."

"Fine. You can say 'hello' and 'goodbye' to him but that's it."

The omega knitted his eyebrows together, once again becoming annoyed. "Kacchan, I'm not going to let what happened before happen again. I know better now. You don't have to baby me, I can handle this." He assured.

Katsuki bit his bottom lip but nodded his head, allowing it. He wished he could control Deku more. He wished he could hide the omega in his jacket and never let anyone see or hurt him. He remembered what Ochaco said. It was healthier for both of them as a couple to have trust and freedom. "Okay… okay, you can talk to him. Just promise me that you'll be clever like I know you are, okay? He's smart but he's not smarter than you."

This response earned a little smile from the boy. "You think I'm clever?"

"As all hell." He agreed, pulling on his jacket before putting a jacket over the boy's shoulders.

Deku slipped his arms into the jacket with a grin. "Would you wear a bell around your neck?"

"Is that some sort of kink or something?" The man asked.

Deku giggled. "So I can tell which of you is my Kacchan. Your faces are really identical."

Katsuki put his shoes on. "Tatsuo had his ears pierced in high school. The holes healed but you can still tell." He mentioned.

"He smells different too." The boy added.

"Does he smell better than me?" He prodded.

The omega shook his head. "Of course not. My alpha smells better than anyone else~" He cooed in an overly flirty voice, teasing his alpha.

"Whatever." The man snickered. They left and Katsuki showed Deku a trail that he had discovered during his last visit. Deku was excited by all the unfamiliar flora and fauna while Katsuki was just happy to see Deku happy. The alpha never thought that he would become so dedicated to an omega. Before he met Deku, he thought that coupled alphas were miserable losers. They gave up freedom and wealth to dedicate themselves to needy, annoying, little omegas who enjoyed nothing more than to drain their alpha's energy and wallet. He thought he had surpassed them, that he was smarter and stronger because he had avoided the temptation of mating. Those ideas went out the window when he started to know the cute, funny, clever, greenette.

Katsuki, just like the alphas he had pitied, was now completely devoted to his omega. He wanted to get him anything, do anything for him, take care of him in every possible way. Share his dinner, his bed, his life with the boy. He rested his hands in his pockets and gently ran his index finger over the ring box that he hid within. He had bought it a little over a week ago on a whim and kept it hidden in a safe since then. He didn't know when he was going to offer it to Deku, he hadn't thought that far ahead. Once they had sex the first time, Katsuki knew he couldn't hold onto it much longer.

"Kacchan, look~" The boy said with a smile as he squatted next to an abandoned antler. "What's this from?"

The man smiled. He loved his omega's childlike curiosity. "Reindeer." He answered.

The boy gasped. "Are there reindeer around here?"

"Of course. It's almost Christmas, isn't it?" He joked, clutching the ring box more firmly.

Deku giggled. "I want to do all the Christmassy things you hear in those songs like roasting chestnuts and making snowmen and decorating a tree."

"Well then, I guess we have a lot to cram in tomorrow."

"Can we sit by a fire place? Ooh! And I want to see a horse-drawn carriage and carolers."

The man chuckled. "Let's go into town tonight after dinner and we'll see what we can do there." He clung to the box tightly and decided to offer it to Deku that night.

"Okay!" Deku agreed. They hiked a little further before turning around and returning to the house. When they arrived, Mitsuki and Masaru were waiting For Deku with apologetic expressions. The boy was confused.

"Izuku-kun," Mitsuki said in a soft voice, "We're so sorry about what happened earlier." She and her husband bowed apologetically which completely flustered the boy.

"O-oh! No! Don't be sorry! Please, it's okay!" He bowed back, unsure of what else to do. His heart raced in a flustered panic.

"Tatsuo really has a hard time with… _people_." Mitsuki explained.

"It's okay." He responded awkwardly. He couldn't help but remind himself that they had seen him in his underwear. Just fifteen minutes after they met, they saw him in a lewd situation with his alpha's brother, wearing pink panties and cat ears. He was so humiliated that it made his stomach ache.

Katsuki intervened. "We're going upstairs." He said, taking Deku's sleeve and tugging, indicating for the boy to follow. They got up the stairs and into their guest bedroom. "Sorry, they don't know how to chill." He explained, closing the door. "One time, in fourth or fifth grade, there was this bullying incident…"

The surprised Deku. It was hard for him to believe that his hot-headed alpha would ever be the victim of bullying. "Someone bullied you?" He asked.

"Well… yeah… and no. This kid wrote something stupid in my textbook like 'you smell' or something like that. That kind of pissed me off and back then, I didn't know how not to give a shit so I returned the teasing ten-fold." He explained. That made a lot more sense to the little omega. His alpha didn't start trouble but he certainly never let go of an opportunity to blow it way out of proportion. "For about a month, I was putting worms in his backpack and taking his lunch money. He went and blabbed to his mom who called my mom then… Mom made me take my piggybank and go all the way to his house and give him all of my savings, even though it totaled more than I took from him. After that, for a month, she made me carry his books around for him. They just don't know how to be normal, that's why I didn't want you to meet them."

The boy chuckled. "She wouldn't have gone to such extremes if you weren't so bad behaved, don't you think? If I had known you as a kid, do you think we would have been friends?"

Katsuki considered that question. "Probably not. If you think I'm angry and violent now, I was a hundred times worse when I was younger. For some reason, I destroyed everything good. If someone was nice to me, I punched them. If the teacher praised me for doing good on a test, I'd start failing just out of spite. I would have despised you." He responded honestly.

"What changed that?" The greenette asked, blinking his sparkling emerald eyes.

"I guess, I got tired of living in a word without good things. I thought that I would happy alone, that I could accept everyone hating me. I lived in a more limited, simpler, world." The man blushed as he continued to speak. "But… Then you started hanging around me and I guess… I kind of figured that, even though it was annoying and frustrating and confusing to have someone else around, it was worth it to have something good."

"Softie~" Deku accused affectionately. "Do you have a crush on me or something?"

"You? _As if_." The man joked back. "Are you still sure you don't want to stay in a hotel?" He asked again. "You just saw for yourself how weird my family is."

The offer sounded tempting now. "But they're your family…"

"How about we stay somewhere else just for tonight." The man compromised. "Town is almost an hour away and it's supposed to snow tonight. Let's just go into town then say that we don't feel like driving back in the snow."

That suggestion relaxed the little omega. He wanted a little bit of separation from the family to recover from his humiliation but he didn't want to give up on a family reunion either. "Well… yeah, that makes sense." He agreed with a little smile.

Katsuki grinned and began to pack a bag for the night. "Hey, answer me this… who's better looking, my brother or I?"

"Hm? You're an adult and you're still competitive with you brother?" Deku asked, taking everything that Katsuki threw into the bag out and folding it before arranging it neatly inside.

"Psh, no." He mumbled. "I'm just wondering if you can tell the difference between us."

"Of course, I can." He closed and zipped the suitcase. "If I had expected there to be two people who looked like you, I would have easily made the distinction earlier."

"Then who's better looking?"

"Why are you so persistent? What if I say it's your brother?" He teased. "Why give me a choice when you only want one answer? If you want me to say you're better-looking that your brother, just slacken your pride and ask me to say it."

Katsuki rolled his eyes as his know-it-all omega. Did he really want to be married to this boy forever? He was so annoying. But then again… he was usually right. "Never mind."

The boy giggled. "My alpha is sooo handsome~" he teased. "Some much more better-looking than anyone else."

Katsuki chucked a rolled-up shirt at the omega who giggled and omitted a playful yelp. He gathered the shirt and began to properly fold it. "What? Isn't that what you wanted? Now you're throwing a tantrum?" He laughed endlessly as Katsuki threw another shirt at him, this one landing on his head and draping over his face. The two played, laughed, and bantered until the packing was done and they took off for town. Deku found it almost unbearable to sit in the car again. He adjusted his seat a hundred different times, changed his sitting position, and opened every compartment in the car at least twice. Once they pulled up at the little inn in town, Deku flew out of the car while the tires still rolled to a halt.

"Would it have been absolute agony to wait one more second for the car to fully stop?" Katsuki scolded as he got out of the car. His words fell on deaf ears. Deku was contentedly stretching every which way. The alpha rolled his eyes. " _Drama queen_." He remarked.

They checked into the little inn and put their shared suitcase in the room. The place was small, quiet, and quaint. Katsuki scoped out every location, trying to find the best location for the eventual proposal. This inn was a little… well, it wasn't awful but it didn't have that spark. It was furnished in the seventies and had a slight musty smell. He knew Deku would take a million photos of the event and the ring. If people saw him getting proposed to in a shabby, outdated, bed n' breakfast, they'd roll their eyes and think, 'what a shame he settled for that Katsuki'.

They left immediately to walk the town. They stopped at every store front where the omega took note of every paper snowflake, every cheaply-mass-produced nutcracker, and every blow-up Santa Clause with inexpressible delight. He clung to his alpha's arm, heart racing and giddy. He jumped around when he found a street vendor selling paper cones full of roasted chestnuts. Katsuki bought them for him but didn't let him touch even one for five minutes. He knew the omega would shovel them into his mouth without considering that they're steaming hot. Although he had planned to take Deku to dinner in town, he knew he'd have to change that plan. After the chestnuts, they had hot chocolate then afterwards, candied pecans, hot apple cider, kettle corn, peanut brittle, a cinnamon doughnut, and eggnog. Between the belly full of warm food and the tingling excitement, Deku never got cold even though his breath came out in great puffs of fog.

As the omega was examining several pairs of hand-painted clogs, Katsuki spotted his perfect opportunity across the street. There stood a horse drawn carriage manned by a massive Clydesdale and a historically dressed driver. Deku obviously hadn't noticed yet. Katsuki laid a hand on his back. "Hey, stay here for a second, I'm going to the bathroom." He lied. The boy nodded, immersed in his activity.

Katsuki crossed the street quickly and knocked on the carriage to get the driver's attention. He struggled with English but he wasn't hopeless. "Hello, excuse me." He greeted with a nod of the head. "I want to pay for this." He pointed to the carriage. "Two people." He held up two fingers.

"Well, it's 20 dollars for a fifteen-minute ride down the street." The driver replied.

"Fifteen minutes? No. I need to buy more time… how can I explain…" He thought for a moment. "Here. Look at this." He pulled the ring out of his pocket and showed it to the man quickly before shoving it back in his pocket. "This is for my omega." He said. "I give- no, I _will_ give it to my omega now. In this." He pointed to the carriage again. "See? I need to buy forty minutes- no, an hour." He corrected. He wanted to give Deku time to compose himself again before dragging him back out onto the street.

"You're going to propose?" The man smiled. "An hour is 150 bucks. I know a good route for this sort of thing. The first thirty minutes are through downtown then we go through the city park for fifteen minutes. In the park, there's this big tree that's covered in lights. It's pretty quiet over there, it's a good place to pop the question. Then, assuming all goes well, we go through the park the long way and end back up in town." He explained. Katsuki didn't understand everything the man was saying but he nodded and paid.

Katsuki quickly returned to Izuku's side. The greenette greeted him with a warm and loving smile that made the man's heart skip a beat. He had no doubts about what he was about to do but nonetheless, he was nervous. "Hey, wanna see a horse?" He asked.

The boy's eyes lit up. "Really? Where?" He looked around. Katsuki pointed out the carriage and Deku gasped. "Wow! It looks like how they do in the movies." He remarked.

"Let's go get a better look." Katsuki offered and held his omega's hand. He led him across the street and right up to the carriage. "Should we go for a ride?" He asked.

Deku was over the moon at the suggestion. "Really? Wait-no. Kacchan, these things are super expensive." He smiled, showing that he wasn't upset.

"Maybe in Japan they are but here, they only charge a thousand yen for an hour. Look, he's just sitting here with no customers and nowhere to go. Let's humor him." Katsuki pushed.

Deku looked over the carriage, dreamy fantasies warming his chest. "I guess it wouldn't hurt, then…"

Katsuki got in first then helped the omega in and sat beside him on the plush bench. The driver called out to the horse, tussled the reigns, and the carriage started to slowly roll down the bumpy cobbled street. The sound of the Clydesdale's hooves keeping steady pace on the brick and the muttering of people became their music as Deku watched the town and Katsuki watched Deku.

As the driver had said, they made a slow and peaceful path through the small town before entering the park. Dark trees were illuminated by white lights scattered along their branches and a few antique street lights lit the path. There were some more cart vendors and families in the park but it was much quieter than the streets. Katsuki caught sight of a couple walking along in their winter bundles. His heart leapt into his throat when he saw the tight, round, bulge in the omega's belly.

'That's going to happen to us too, right?' he wondered. He was both anxious and excited. 'Of course. My omega is going to make a baby someday. We're going to be parents. We won't just be kids or bachelors or even a plain old couple anymore. We'll have started something bigger and more important than ourselves… a whole lineage. Hundreds or thousands of people will eventually come from our lineage, from this moment…' he thought. He looked to Deku and the omega returned the look with happy, sparking eyes. In those deep emerald irises, Katsuki saw himself reflected along with a sea of twinkling lights.

"I love you." Katsuki spoke the words softly and sincerely. He didn't blush or act embarrassed; he was completely sure of himself.

The warmth that Deku's peachy smile carried warmed the alpha deep down into his core. His heart fluttered, so nervous and also so ready. "I love you too." The boy answered. Every word was true.

The cart slowed to a stop and both men looked up. They were in a large opening where people gathered and chatted. A few children tried to sing a Christmas song despite forgetting so many of the words, a young couple took a photo together, and a father fixed the hats and scarves on his small herd of children. In the middle of the scene stood a tall and wide tree that glowed, lights wrapping completely up the trunk and through the branches. Every branch was decorated with homemade ornaments. Some were elaborate beaded designs while others were simple crafts. Each was unique and full of sincerity.

Deku stared at the tree in amazement. He spotted a particularly fun bird ornament but when he turned around to point it out to Katsuki, he saw something that made him forget absolutely everything else. First, he noticed a sincere, loving, desperate, and anxious expression on his alpha. His smile fell slightly to match the seriousness of his alpha. He was about to ask 'What?' but before the words could leave his lips, his eyes caught a tiny sparkle in his peripherals. He glanced down to Katsuki's hand where he held open a ring box. Deku's heart stopped as the image of the shimmering diamond ring sunk into his memory, never to be forgotten.

The green eyes lifted again and locked onto the Ruby ones. Katsuki had planned to say something, to ask for his hand, but now that the moment had come, he couldn't. A wave of fear washed over him. This was the moment. He needed the answer to be yes. If it wasn't, he didn't know what else to do. There was no plan B, only Deku.

The omega's eye lids fluttered and silently, tears built along the corners. "Kacchan…" He whispered. All other noises faded away. "Is this…?" He asked.

The alpha nodded. "Yeah…" He answered. His courage slowly trickled back. He had to speak now, he had to do this right. "It is if you want it to be. Deku… I know I love you. I know I won't love anyone else. I know that I don't want to let go, ever. I want to give you everything… myself, a house, a kid… I'm ride or die, baby." He chuckled awkwardly but Deku didn't return the smile. He still sat there quietly, amazement in his eyes and tears rolling down his pink cheeks.

Katsuki cleared his throat as he felt that fear climbing back up. "I want this… I know I do… but if you don't… that's okay. You don't have to say yes just because I'm asking. I know they do in the movies but forget that. If you don't want to do this, if you're not ready for this, then we can just go back home and we'll act like it never happened. No hard feelings, no hostility, just readjustment, okay? I don't want to make you feel like-"

The alpha was cut off by familiar lips pressing against his. Familiar fingers wound themselves in his hair, a familiar warmth pressed against his chest. The kiss was intense but brief. Deku pulled away and looked into those bright ruby irises. He was still teary but finally, the smile returned. "I'm ride or die, baby." He confirmed with a little chuckle.

The alpha pulled the omega into his lap and held him so tight, partially out of adoration and partially to hide his teary face from public view. Even though these people were strangers, he would hate to show that side of himself to anyone but his omega. Deku happily obliged to hug his alpha's neck and hide his face.

The driver gave them a few minutes before continuing quietly through the park then back out onto the street. After a short ride, they got out of the carriage and started walking back to their hotel. Deku's held Katsuki's hand the whole walk back and marveled at the shiny ring. As the omega considered when and how he would break the news to his family, the alpha was just glad that the cold air was calming his red and puffy face.

"When are we going to tell your family? Tomorrow?" The greenette asked.

"Mmmm…" Katsuki considered it. "If we tell them, they'll assume they're invited to a wedding." He pointed out.

Deku pouted. "Of course, they are." He answered firmly.

"Why even have a wedding? Let's just fill out some paperwork at the courthouse then go on a long, long, honeymoon." Katsuki said, fantasizing about a no-family, no-drama, no-stress, elopement. Just him and his omega spending quality time together on a tropical island where no one would bother them.

The omega stopped walking and gave his alpha a 'you can't be serious' face. "No wedding?"

Katsuki rolled his eyes. "I mean, really. What's the point? So we can plan for months, stress and fight, then host an expensive party where we get to watch our families get drunk and fight? That sounds like marital sabotage."

"You'd rather have a lonely courthouse wedding? You'd rather share one of the greatest moments of our lives with tired office workers who can't even remember our names than our loved ones? Do you not have a romantic bone in your body?" Deku asked, astonished and disappointed.

Katsuki restrained himself from physically face-palming. This date had been nothing but romantic. Katsuki was stretching himself, doing things that were truly uncomfortable for him because he knew Deku would like it but now, all that was forgotten. "Really? I'm not romantic enough just because I want to marry you and take you on a vacation instead of spending a year fighting with you over tissue paper and mashed potatoes?"

Deku's disappointment slowly started shifting into frustration. "Do you really like I'm like that? I'm not asking for a castle or a mile-long guest list, Kacchan. I'm not going to be a bridezilla or whatever, I just want... y'know, what everyone else has." He explained. As a young omega, he's watched every romcom ever filmed and waited anxiously for the wedding in each. He had meticulously planned his own wedding a hundred times over as a child. Now he was being told that that sparkly, beautiful, moment wasn't going to come for him. His wedding would consist of a court lobby, paperwork, and ballpoint pens.

The alpha rolled his eyes. "You want it because everyone has it? Does it even mean anything? I'll get you the pretty garments and we'll just pretend we had one."

"No, you're not understanding what I'm saying! I don't want it just because everyone else has it- I mean, I do, but that's not it. I want it…because I want to be a bride." He tried to explain it but he didn't know how. "I mean… I want a wedding because… _it's a wedding_! It's the beginning of a marriage! It's the exchange of the oath and-and the giving away of the bride and-"

"Deku, I'm not going to ask your father for you or accept you in a ceremony from him like an archaic cattle exchange. That's ridiculous." Katsuki responded firmly.

Deku's face fell. " _Oh, I get it_." He said with a scowl. "I understand now. You don't want a wedding because you're better than that, right? Tradition is old, you're too good for that. Familial respect? Archaic. Vows? Over it. Brides and grooms are a thing of the past, dead to us because we're civilized people now, right? Can you even see the little men from up on your high horse?" He asked.

"Why are you being like this?" Katsuki snarled.

"Being like what?" The omega instigated.

" _You're being an omega_." He answered through gritted teeth. Suddenly, Deku was everything he didn't like about omegas. Whiny, needy, materialistic, stubborn, annoying, manipulative, and self-conformed to old gender roles.

Deku tore his hand out of Katsuki's, outraged. He didn't even have a response to that. He walked past Katsuki towards the entrance of the inn. "I'm going to the room. Stay down here until you can get that stupid head of yours on right." He muttered before disappearing into the inn and darting up the stairs. Katsuki though that he caught a glimpse of the omega whipping his eyes as he left.

Katsuki's hands were bound into tight fists as he cursed under his breath. This wasn't how he had wanted to start off their married life. 'So it's my fault again!?' He thought. 'I'm not the one being completely outrageous! If he could just let go of that stupid old idea of what a relationship is supposed to look like, he could understand my point! Why the hell does he want to go through this stupid hassle so we can do a thousand-year-old ceremony where he's sold to me like property!? Did I just propose to a complete idiot!?'

He wanted so badly to cling to his anger and his point of view but images of Deku running away and wiping tears from his cheeks flashed through his memory. He loved the omega, he couldn't easily watch him cry. 'Dammit, Deku…' he thought.

He tried for a minute or two to reconsider what the omega had said but he still couldn't understand it. He fished his phone out of his pocket and sent a text to Ochaco, the omega mind-reader who seemed to always know best. Katsuki would find her insufferable as a partner but she was an invaluable friend.

Katsuki: I need you to call me asap.

Across the world, the young, brunette, omega picked up her phone and looked at the message. She was in her living room folding baby clothes. She texted back immediately.

Uraraka: What's wrong?

Katsuki: I need you to explain why omegas care about weddings. It's dire.

The omega glanced around for her husband. He always told her to stay out of their relationship. He reminded her that Katsuki and Deku needed to learn to communicate with each other rather than relying on her to hold their relationship together. Ochaco usually agreed with him but he wasn't around and she could sense that this was important. She called the confused and frustrated alpha.

"I can only talk for a minute." She said as soon as the call went through. She planned only to start them on the path of understanding and still let them do most of the work for themselves. "Just tell me what happened.

Katsuki gave a heavy sigh and quickly recounted the whole night, starting with the carriage ride and ending with the crying omega. As he spoke, he started to realize the harshness of some of his words.

"Well…" Ochaco began. "It's bad but it's not as bad as you think. There are big arguments like which religion to raise your child in or how to spend a limited paycheck and then there are small arguments like what to eat for dinner or who's going to change the baby. You're on the smaller side but still in-between."

Katsuki felt a little at ease. For a moment, he thought he had ruined their relationship and that he was going to have that ring thrown back in his face. "You think so? Well… I guess that's reassuring. I just don't want to fight."

"That's a good attitude. It's not about winning or losing, it's just about reaching an agreement. Would you agree to have a wedding? After all, you know that Izuku wants one." She asked.

"I mean… I guess I would if he said that he won't get married unless there's a wedding."

"Do you think he would say that?"

"No, of course not. You and I both know that if I said I'd only marry him in a court house, he would do it but he would be so upset…"

"Bakugo, the first step in dissolving a conflict is deciding where you want this to end. You need a common, peaceful, goal to work towards together. You've found yours. You both want to get married without the other being miserable." She coached. After coming out of her first marriage, Ochaco had gone to a substantial amount of counseling and through that, she became a master councilor.

The alpha nodded. "Great but if we do it my way, he'll be miserable and if we do it his way, I'll set everything on fire so… do we just stay engaged forever?"

Ochaco chuckled softly. "I suppose you could but maybe you could each work on seeing it from the other's perspective and see where that takes you. What do you think of Izuku's perspective?"

"I think it's…" He tried to put the words together in his head and voice them honestly. "It's old-fashioned, excessive, annoying, time-consuming, frustrating and not to mention expensive! I just don't want to spend months fighting with him about stupid shit like table runners just for one night of chaos and weird traditions." He explained.

"Mmhm, that's understandable." She agreed. "Weddings, no matter how they're done, will cost a good chunk of money and you guys will need to make decisions that you sometimes are on different sides of. You're right, it'll be a challenge. What does Izuku think of weddings?"

The alpha rolled his eyes. "He only knows what he's seen in Hollywood. He thinks it's just a day for him to be royalty followed by a party with cake."

"That doesn't really sound like Izuku to me."

"Are you kidding? The kid loves cake."

She chuckled again. "Yes, but he's never asked to be treated like royalty before. He's never wanted to spend a lot of money for the sake of being extravagant, he's never been interested in big parties with a lot of people and he's never been inconsiderate or anyone around him. You know that."

The alpha felt guilt settle in his abdomen. She was right. He had accused his omega of being just another annoying, egotistical, materialistic omega but he knew that wasn't true. And why had he tried to use the name omega as an insult? He felt so stupid. He loved Deku and Deku was his omega. That wasn't an insult but a title of prestige and honor. He wanted to hit his head against the wall as he remembered Deku telling him to get his stupid head on straight. He was so right. "What does he want then?" Katsuki asked in a defeated voice.

"Why are you asking me? Go upstairs and ask him yourself but this time, really consider what he's saying. And don't forget your common goal." She advised.

Katsuki thanked her and put his phone away. He went straight into the inn and up the stairs. He stopped at the door to their room and listened. Thankfully, he didn't hear crying. He knocked, ready to be vulnerable and honest again. He could do it if it meant having this marriage work out.

"What?" Deku asked from inside, his voice tired and defensive.

"Deku… I'm sorry. I lost my head there and I was a fucking idiot so… let me tell you to your face that…" He swallowed as the next words left his lips, "I want to have a wedding with you." He still didn't understand why Deku wanted it and he was sure he'd hate it but if this was the first step towards ending the argument, then he would gladly take it.

The door opened slowly and Deku looked up at his alpha, his eyes full of guilt and regret. "Kacchan…" He mumbled. "No, you're right. Weddings are silly. I just… I love you and I want to marry you, even if it's in a courthouse." He still wanted a wedding but now he felt guilty about asking for one after his alpha had taken him on the perfect date and given him the perfect ring. He was asking too much.

Katsuki gently put a hand on Deku's waist and moved him back so that he could come in and close the door. He stood close to his omega and looked down on that fluffy, deep green, hair. He ran a hand through the boy's locks lovingly. "I just realized while I was out there that I really don't know much about weddings. Could you teach me?" He asked, his voice unusually soft.

Deku could feel his alpha's affection so he nodded. "I'm not sure how to describe it right…"

"How about you just explain how it would feel to be an omega on your wedding day." Katsuki started.

"How it would feel? Well… you wouldn't be able to sleep at all the night before because of all the excitement then you would get up early and meet up with your friends. Everyone would be so happy and excited and anxious. You would be counting down the minutes until the makeup stylist and hair stylist would come and make you prettier than you've ever been before and you would just stare in the mirror and wonder what your alpha is going to think when they see you." A smile had crept onto Deku's face as he got wrapped up in the fantasy. He sat down on the bed and the alpha followed.

"Finally, you get to wear the garments that you picked out weeks ago and when you see yourself in them, you think of the dozens of omegas in your ancestry who did this same thing and took on the responsibility of a family." He continued. "And then your dad takes you by the arm and escorts you just like he did when you were younger. It's so bittersweet but you know that you don't want to be a child anymore. You want to be somebody's partner and a parent. And then…" Deku softly closed his eyes. "You start down the isle and your alpha is there and he's ready to tell everyone that you're his. You take his hand and feel that his whole heart has accepted you as his omega and that there won't be another. He looks at you in your garment and thinks of you as delicate but also elegant and refined. Then you watch your dad walk away and, in that moment, you feel that your purpose has transferred. Before, your first priority was your parents and you belonged in their circle but now, you have your own family and you belong there. Your purpose is to support and raise your family now. There are no more breakups, you and your alpha belong to one another."

Katsuki listened and truly tried to empathize with the omega. Strangely enough, he found himself a little entranced in the fantasy as well. There were still aspects that he struggled to romanticize and he still knew that this would be difficult and frustrating but he could see better now why Deku wanted it. "How big would you want it to be?" He asked.

"Kacchan, we don't have to-" Deku began to protest, guilty about the fact that he was getting his way after their fight. He knew he had treated his alpha badly. He had said things he didn't mean and acted outside of himself.

"I want one too, okay? I mean… a very small and private one but I get what you mean about sharing it with your family and our role in tradition and whatnot." He nudged his hand against Deku's. The omega opened his palm and the alpha held his hand, intertwining their fingers.

Deku rested his head against the alpha's shoulder. "Don't be so nice to me." He said. "I was so mean to you… that was the best date of my whole life and I said all those mean things…"

Katsuki smiled a little. "I can't truly be mad because you weren't truly wrong." He answered. Deku was right, he was being a bit arrogant and harsh. "I'll accept your apologies if you'll accept mine, Omega."

The boy's demeanor changed slightly at the use of that name. He hunched a little more and frowned. Katsuki noticed immediately. "What?" He asked.

"Just call me Deku." He corrected. He knew what Katsuki thought about omegas and he didn't want to be that. He didn't want to be an annoyance.

Katsuki then understood what the problem was. "Oh… Deku, I'm…" He swallowed and forced himself to be open. "I'm sorry. I'm really, really, sorry. When I said you were being an omega… I didn't mean…" He grumbled, frustrated at his on inability to express himself clearly. "Okay, I did mean that but I was wrong. That's what I used to think about omegas before you."

"You still think that." Deku clarified.

"I mean… yes. Okay? I don't get along with most omegas, I just don't. I have a hard personality and you know it. I don't get along with most people. That doesn't reflect on how I feel about you, though. I wouldn't be marrying you if I thought you were like that."

"So you want to marry me because I'm not a real omega? I don't fit your stereotypes and that's why I'm good?"

"No! I mean…" The alpha took a deep breath. "I don't love every omega out there. A lot of them annoy me, I'll admit that, but that doesn't mean I hate omegas as a whole. There are a lot of qualities that omegas have that I love, qualities that I love about you. Omegas can be so gentle and comforting. They can talk straight to the heart and truly empathize with others. And they're cute, so much cuter than alphas. They're small and they look up at you with these sparkling eyes that make you want to do anything for them. And omegas smell good, it's amazing." He gently squeezed Deku's hand. "And omegas can become mothers. They can grow offspring and they can nurture that baby in a way that an alpha can't. There are a lot of things I don't like about other omegas but that doesn't mean that I wish they didn't exist. I love you and, if you weren't an omega, I couldn't love you as much as I do."

Deku accepted the apology silently, rubbing his head against the man's strong chest affectionately. Katsuki patted the boy's head. "See? Omegas act so cute sometimes." He said. He was completely red in the face from all the mushy talk. He was getting better at saying these sorts of things to Deku but it was still hard. He would never ever speak like this if anyone else was within earshot.

Before he knew it, the omega was crawling into his lap and straddling him, his arms around the alpha's neck. "I hate when we fight." He whispered. With the omega's throat so close, Katsuki could smell affection and lust pheromones. His primal instinct told him to mark the boy so he began to rub his cheek over the exposed neck. The omega shuttered. "Let's promise to never fight again."

Katsuki smiled, his sharp canines exposed. "That's a tall order, don't you think?" He responded in a strong and smooth voice.

The omega emitted a little giggle. "Next time we start to fight, we'll just stop and fuck instead~" he teased.

Katsuki knew that the plan was ridiculous and ineffective in the long run but as he sat there with his warm omega nibbling his earlobe, he didn't feel like turning him down. He wrapped his hands firmly around the omega's hips and ground up into him. There was no way in hell he'd say no to this.

They tried their best to be quiet but it was hopeless. They were both excited by the engagement, emotionally stirred up from the fight, and recklessly in love. A little bit of grinding and nibling quickly turned into Deku being pinned down on the bed Katsuki being covered in bright red bite marks.

They each took their turns apologizing. Deku went first, getting down on his knees and taking the alpha's thick member down his throat until his nose was buried in Katsuki's abdomen. Katsuki then sucked the omega's cock while curling two fingers inside of his ass until the omega was writhing and begging for the real thing. The foreplay was short lived as the two soon began experimenting with positions.

They tried to decide what was best but they liked all of it. Katsuki liked fucking Deku on the vanity because the mirror gave him a perfect view of the omega's lewd expressions. Deku, on the other hand, liked being laid on his back on the bed because he could kiss his alpha and bite his neck.

With one final screaming orgasm, they decided that they were too exhausted for another round. After waiting for the knot to release and cleaning up, they received a polite knock on the door. Katsuki answered, finding an alpha staff member smiling awkwardly. "Good evening, sir. I hope you're enjoying your visit. We've received some complaints from our other guests about-"

Katsuki scowled dangerously at the man. His hormones were still running high which made him feel like he could not allow another alpha within fifty feet of his omega. He didn't want this man to smell let alone see his omega. "We're leaving in the morning." He grumbled before shutting the door.

He immediately went back to the bed where his annoyed omega was waiting. The boy clung to his alpha. "Don't leave! I'm very sensitive right now…" he complained. "I'm going to get drop."

"No you won't. I was only gone a second and you could see me the whole time." He pretended to be annoyed but in actuality, he liked feeling so needed. He wrapped his arms around his omega and began to relax. It wasn't hard for either of them to fall asleep and the next morning, the quietly packed up and left. Although Deku had no regrets last night, he now bustled out of the inn with a red face, not wanting to meet eyes with any of the employees who had heard him calling out his alpha's name.

They hopped into the car and went back to the Katsuki family home. "Are you going to tell them, or am I?" The greenette asked as they pulled up to the house. He knew he had to force his fiance's hand on this or he would never say anything about the engagement.

Katsuki sighed. "I will. You go upstairs and pretend to have food poisoning." He advised.

"What? Why? I want to be there for the big moment."

"Trust me, you don't. My parents will lose their shit and they'll want to touch you and ask you questions and they'll try to get involved in the planning. My mom will pressure you into doing some stupid shit like a flash mob and you'll say yes because you want to bond with her but in the end, we all end up at each other's throats." He explained.

"I won't." Deku pleaded. "I promise. I mean… you're right, I would really want to give in but I won't. I'll stand my ground."

The ruby-red eyes looked into Deku's sternly. "No flash mobs, no bouncy houses, and no swimming with the dolphins." He said. The omega nodded, smiling.

They got out of the car and entered the family home. Much of the previous day's tension had dissipated and it didn't feel so awkward anymore. The whole house smelled of lemon and vinegar cleaning products. Mitsuki came to greet them with her hair under a bandana and carrying a mop. She smiled. "Hi guys! Sorry, the floor in the living room is still wet." She said.

The omega's heart was beating rapidly with anticipation. He looked up to his alpha who was still as cool and apathetic as ever. Before he could say anything, Katsuki opened his mouth and bluntly announced, "Izuku and I are engaged now. We'll have a wedding. You will be invited. It will not be a big or elaborate affair. We don't know where or where so don't ask."

Both Izuku and Mitsuki were amazed by how easily and emotionlessly he could say something like that. His mother stammered. "Y-you're… you're _engaged?_ " She asked in disbelief. "I don't under-"

"Yeah." Katsuki interrupted.

Mitsuki hadn't even known about Izuku's existence for very long and now her son was going to get married? She was tired of being blind-sided like this. She wanted to be a part of her children's lives, not just an afterthought who occasionally was deemed worthy of inclusion. She scowled. "Hold on right there, Bakugo. You can't just get married-"

"Why not?" He asked, cutting her off again. While he remained apathetic, his omega was becoming more and more anxious. Izuku could sense the tension.

"B-because you… uugh! That's not what I meant! I meant that you can't just cut everyone out of your life and then every once in a while, send us postcards like this! You're getting married!? I mean, _are you kidding me_!? Until a few days ago, I thought you were an asexual bachelor! Can you just stop being so selfish and include your family in your life!?" She leaned her mop against the wall and crossed her arms.

Now Katsuki was getting worked up too. "You're not entitled to every detail of my personal life. I'm not a kid anymore, I didn't need to tell you every time I use the toilet." He countered.

"Don't you fucking dare make me sound overbearing for wanting to know that you're in a serious relationship more than one day prior to your engagement announcement! I'm not some psycho helicopter parent!"

"Could have fooled me." Katsuki replied with a subtle growl which made his mother gasp. She looked like she was about to slap him across the face when her husband walked in, drawn over by all the noise. At this point, Deku was clinging to Katsuki's arm and tugging on him, trying to silently tell him to stop talking.

"Mii-chan, what's going on?" Mr. Katsuki asked.

"Honestly, I'm just surprised that Mr. Nobility deemed us worthy of being invited to his wedding." She said, a twinge of emotion in her voice as if she was fighting tears.

Masaru looked from his wife to his son then to the deeply uncomfortable omega. Deku was anxious and afraid, afraid that this was his fault and that Mitsuki hated him. Masaru sighed, being the more level headed of the pair, and gave Izuku a comforting smile. "I'm sorry you got caught up in this, Midoriya. It's really not about you." He assured.

The high-strung Katuski pulled his omega closer, annoyed that anyone would dare talk to his omega without his permission. After what happened the previous morning, he was very protective of Deku, even around his own family.

"Why the hell are acting like we're going to eat him!?" Mitsuki barked. "This isn't a third-world bride market, this is your family home! If you still consider us your family, that is!"

Deku hated this. He had fought all last night and he was so tired of it by now. He was tired of his fiance's stubbornness, of being anxious, of feeling unwelcome and disrespected by the Katsuki family. Maybe Bakugo was right, maybe it was better that he didn't have contact with his family. Had Deku asked too much by wanting him to have a relationship with them? Had he been selfish and ruined a delicate balance? He was just fed-up with it.

The little omega broke out of Katsuki's hold. He looked so frustrated and exhausted as he looked up to his surprised alpha. "I'm so tired… Kacchan, I'm sorry I asked to come here, I'm sorry I asked you to have a relationship with your family, and I'm sorry for causing so many problems. That being said, I won't be a part of them anymore. I won't fight. If you want to stay here and fight with everyone all day, I'll be around. If you want to catch the next plane back to Japan, I'll come along without a word of complaint. You can disown your family, fistfight your brother, or just continue having a relationship with them while pretending I don't exist, I don't care. I just can't stand to be a part of it anymore, okay? I'll be out on the porch while you figure it out." He said before leaving out the front door.

Katsuki watched him go silently, his anger slipping away from him as a guilty realization settled on him. He just couldn't stop fucking everything up.


End file.
